Here and Now
by Denim88
Summary: The sequel to 'Better Late Than Never'. Naruto's 18, he's dating Sakura, he's a respected ninja of the Leaf, what could possibly go wrong? Well, some things have been overlooked...some very dangerous things.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto, because I was never creative enough to think of such a cool character; too bad for me.

**For those of you reading this, I recommend you read 'Better Late Than Never' first, since this story is a sequel to it. If you don't then don't blame me for the confusion, okay?**

Prologue

It's been about two years since Orochimaru had been defeated once and for all by Kakashi Hatake. It has been also been about two years since Naruto defeated Sasuke Uchiha, who died to prevent Naruto's very own death as well.

Naruto also has been dating Sakura Haruno for about two years. Naruto had managed to gain the rank of Chunin in the two year period. It has been a busy time for the now almost eighteen year old ninja, but he always tried to make the most of what life gave him.

Naruto stood in front of a small headstone near the Uchiha mansion courtyard. Sasuke received only a small funeral for his service to Konoha, but nothing more, seeing as he betrayed the village as well. In his last moment of life, Sasuke died not as a pupil of Orochimaru, but as a friend of Naruto's.

Rain started falling, lightly, but enough to get the blonde ninja's attention. He cracked his neck, and then yawned. He had been there for two hours; it was probably after midnight by now. He gave one final look to the grave stone, and then smiled slightly.

"I'll see you later Sasuke. If I don't get enough sleep, Sakura will kill me when she finds out. I'll trim the courtyard when I come back next time….well, hopefully I will." He laughed, then walked out to the village street, and towards his apartment.

Nights like these made being a ninja horrible yet wonderful at the same time…

**I'm back!! Yep, a whole new adventure, since so many wanted me to do a sequel (which I planned on the whole while). Well, hopefully you'll like this story. You may cry tears of joy now if you wish.**


	2. Eighteen

**Disclaimer**: Sorry folks, I unfortunately do not own Naruto. If I did, well, it would probably have been called 'Shikamaru and Company' and it would be a sitcom where Naruto makes a casual entrance into the apartment, kind of like Kramer on Seinfeld…moving along…

**Chapter 1: Eighteen**

Naruto's P.O.V

Morning…

That's what I thought as I opened my eyes and looked out my open window and saw the sun shining through my room.

Wait, my window's open? I never opened it last night…

I reached for a kunai under my mattress and quickly got out of my bed. No one seemed to be here. I plopped back down into my bed and groaned. I slowly looked up to my bedroom ceiling…

"Happy Birthday, Naruto!" greeted a person that I had no chance to identify as I quickly sprung from my bed and assumed a Taijutsu stance.

It was then that I realized who my intruder was, "Oh, hey Sakura-chan. You scared me for a minute there."

"Yeah, you know, for being one of the village's best shinobi, you sure can be easy to sneak up on." She joked, landing on the floor and walking up to plant a light kiss on my cheek, "Go get showered, I'll make you some breakfast."

"What's the occasion?" I asked with a yawn.

"Didn't you hear me? I said 'Happy Birthday'." She beamed.

"Oh…it's the tenth of October already? I-I should probably just stay inside for today…I don't want any mobs to chase after me this year, especially now that they know I'm an adult. That'll convince some to beat me even more than when I was a kid." I said, suddenly feeling tired again.

Sakura frowned, "Naruto, I'm not going to let the village ruin _your_ special day, okay? Now get showered up, we're meeting with Kakashi in an hour."

"You mean three hours." I corrected with a laugh.

"No, he promised he'd be on time." Sakura replied with a smile.

I was in the bathroom, getting ready to hop into the hot water of my shower when Sakura opened the door, "Hey Naruto, you like your pancakes with butte-oh! Sorry, thought you were already behind the shower curtain, so I figured I wouldn't-"

"Yes Sakura, I'd love butter on my pancakes." I said standing in my boxers. I noticed Sakura's eyes wander over my body a bit, a faint blush on her cheeks. I flexed my arms and abs a little, and she blushed even more. She nodded a reply to my answer, and backed out of the doorway, nearly tripping on her way out, and then shutting the door.

I laughed a little, and then hopped into the shower, "Too bad I can't see _her_ like that." I said to myself, a smirk on my face.

After getting out, drying off, and putting on some clothes, I headed down to the kitchen and was welcomed by the aroma of pancakes. My stomach growled, and I heard Sakura laugh as she heard the gurgle of hunger, "Come on and eat, I've got the first batch right here." Then she handed me a plate.

"Sakura, you didn't need to make me breakfast just because today is my birthday." I sighed with an awkward grin.

"I know, but I did, and besides, it's my breakfast too." She stated, serving herself a plate.

As we ate, I heard Sakura hum to herself as she put on some maple syrup.

Okay, in the time that I've known her, especially since we started dating, Sakura hummed only on certain occasions. Usually it was after a stress-free day at the hospital (a rarity for her), when she was going shopping with the girls, or when she knew something I didn't know.

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" I asked, pointing my fork at her between bites. Her only response was for her to stick her tongue out at me teasingly. Yep, she knew something all right.

When we finished, Sakura and I walked out to the streets of Konoha. Food stands were already setting up and selling food to villagers.

"Great, the festival's already started." I sighed.

"Don't worry, most people aren't going to bother you. A lot of the villagers see the true you now, not a demon. Besides, I won't let them ruin today for you…understood?" Sakura asked sternly.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, now come on, or Kakashi will be waiting for us."

We walked out to the training grounds; it was about eleven o' clock or so. I noticed that there were no birds chirping…

It's too quiet…

Sakura and I jumped to opposite sides of the clearing, avoiding a spray of shruiken and kunai. Sakura and I quickly spun around and threw a few kunai at a tree. A popping sound was heard, and Kakashi appeared in front of us.

"Not bad, I barely had time to pull off replacement jutsu that time." He smiled as a log fell from the tree.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, it's been a while!" I greeted. It was true; Sakura and I often spent so much time on dates or with our own training that we barely saw Kakashi more than twice a week, if not less. I felt kind of bad about it, being that he was one of my best friends as well as a teacher of mine.

"So, eighteen, huh?" he smirked at me behind his mask, then turned to Sakura, then back at me, "Are you two going-?"

"NO!!" Sakura yelled, answering the unfinished question. Honestly, I'm glad she answered and not me. I felt uncomfortable about the subject, now that I thought about it.

The Jonin nodded, then went back to his bored look again, "Well, I suppose that's the smartest choice right now. Though, Sakura, didn't you take a course in preventing preg-?"

"Kakahsi!!" she flared, clenching a fist. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, then pulled out one of his books.

Sakura grumbled, then turned to me, "Oh shoot, Naruto, could you quick run back to your house and get my weapons' pouch? I think I left it there."

"You can borrow mine, Sakura. If we're training, I'm sure I'll have more than enough for both of us." I replied.

"No, I'd like to use mine, _pleeeaaase_ Naruto-kun?" she asked in a sugar-coated voice. She just had to call me Naruto-kun.

"Okay, okay. I wish you would stop using that nickname as a means of getting your way with me." I sighed.

"Because it works?" she smiled.

"Yeah, and you have me wrapped around your finger because of it." I finished, then headed off to my apartment.

About ten minutes later I was in my apartment. I walked into the living room and groaned.

"Great, how do I find a dinky weapons' pouch in this disaster?" I asked myself. I've been told by both Sakura and Ino that compared to other men, my apartment was decent. However, it wasn't 'clean'.

"Sakura sure seemed to want that weapons' pouch." I said as I searched through a pile of dirty clothes. Something seems fishy, and I plan to find out…as soon as I can find Sakura's weapons.

**End of chap. 1- So, what do you think? I think it's a fairly good start, not too much being given away…well, please R&R, and I plan on putting the next chapter up soon! **


	3. A Confession

**Disclaimer: **It has come to my attention that Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, _and _draws better than me…man, the truth hurts.

**Chap. 2: A Confession **

(Sakura's P.O.V)

No sooner did Naruto leave when Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Iruka, and Tsunade came down from a hiding place of a tree.

"So, how long do we have?" Tsunade asked me setting down a wrapped box.

"I hid the weapons in his closet…it will be at least an hour before he finds a single kunai though, since I also left a few stray weapons under his bed and in his pile of dirty laundry." I grinned.

"Good strategy, Sakura, you're reputation as an intelligent kunoichi still holds true." Iruka added with a laugh.

"You're horrible." Kakashi added with a shaking of his head. Well, he was a bit true with that statement; having Naruto look for anything in his apartment _is_ mean. Especially when you purposefully hid the items.

"Do you have the decorations?" I asked, turning my attention to Team Ten, minus Asuma. The loss of the Jonin was still a touchy subject with the group.

Ino smiled brightly and nodded her head to a (very) large box full of streamers, table covers, wrapping paper, and plastic eating utensils. She looked expectantly at Choji, who went over to the box and heaved it up. Ino elbowed Shikamaru, who grunted and walked over to help Choji.

"You know that Naruto doesn't like it when his birthday is celebrated." The shadow using Jonin commented.

"That's true, but this is his eighteenth birthday, making him an 'official' adult of Konoha. Even if he became a ninja at twelve, he was still a kid." Tsunade pointed out.

"Which gives him certain privelages…" Kakashi added.

"Kakashi, go help Iruka set up the tables." The Fifth Hokage ordered with an annoyed, somewhat dangerous look. Kakashi simply shrugged, then walked over to help Iruka while muttering 'Well, it's true…'

About fifteen minutes later Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji arrived with Gai who was humming a tune. Upon seeing Kakashi, he immediately challenged the Copy Nin to a competition of who could put up the most balloons in five minutes. Luckily, Iruka had already covered that task. Gai sighed and went to help his team set up the giant pots of ramen.

Shortly after we got the fire going, Kiba, Kurenai, and Shino arrived. Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari arrived along with Jiraiya who had escorted the three to Konohagakure.

"Well, Gaara, glad you could take time out of your schedule to come to Naruto's party." I said, giving the Kazekage a friendly hug. He stiffened slightly, but then relaxed.

"Well of course, Naruto's my friend." He said quietly. Temari had actually been trying to get her youngest brother to open up more. He was slowly progressing, he could stand human contact, though was still a bit shaky around women. I thought I'd offer some help. After seeing the Kazekage freeze up like that, and then suddenly have a desire to help Tenten and Lee make the ramen, I laughed a little. Gaara was indeed a better person.

Before noon came, a few more people came, and brought a lot more gifts. A large buffet table was set up, and streamers were lined everywhere, especially on Gai's side, who had apparently won a challenge at making his side more 'youthful' than Kakashi's.

I heard a beeping sound from a radio around my waist, and picked it up, "Yes, what's up, Hinata?" I asked through the speaker.

"Um…Sakura, I-I think Naruto-kun's found all of your weapons. He's walking out of his apartment, and heading down the stairs right now."Answered the Hyuuga heiress on the other side of the frequency.

"Shoot, Hinata, can you stall him for a few more minutes? We're almost done here, but still need a bit more time." I asked.

"S-sure Sakura, I'll try my best to distract him, but you know how he gets." Hinata replied, then turned off her radio. I then turned to the group.

"Okay everyone, Naruto's found my weapons earlier than planned, but Hinata is going to try and stall him for a while. So, we need to hurry up and- Shikamaru, will you quit staring at the clouds and help out?!"

(Hinata's P.O.V)

Great, I had no idea what to do! Distract Naruto? That's next to impossible…but I need to try, everyone's depending on me.

"Um…hi…N-Naruto-kun." I said, feeling myself get sweaty all of the sudden.

Naruto turned, then smiled brightly, "Hinata-chan, how are you? Nice weather today, especially with it being fall and everything."

I nodded, and began to feel nervous…no, don't break down now! Talk!

"So…w-where are you going?" I asked, feeling my cheeks turn pink. I don't get it, why am I acting this way still? I'm dating Kiba, and Naruto is dating Sakura. I'm happy with Kiba, honestly and whole-heartedly. Kiba feels the same for me…especially with him having been the one who first asked me out.

So why do I still get flustered around one of my best friends/former crushes?

"Well, I'm going to go and train with Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei!" He replied with his trademark grin.

There was an awkward silence that followed, and I began to shuffle my feet and figet with my fingers…just like I always do when I'm nervous.

"Oh…t-that sounds good. So how has Sakura been? I heard she's giving classes to genin that want to become medic nin." I continued, trying to take up more time.

"Yeah, she's doing great! I mean, heck, she taught me a few basic medical techniques, which is saying a lot considering my skill in that field." Naruto chuckled.

"Yeah…" I was starting to look around, trying not to show my blush.

However, Naruto noticed my discontent.

"Hinata, is something wrong?" he asked me, looking concerned.

"I…n-no, I'm fine Naruto." I lied.

"Hinata…if something's wrong, you can tell me. You're one of my best friends, and you can trust me." He spoke, putting a hand on my shoulder.

Should I tell him? Yes, even if those feelings I had for him don't really exist anymore, perhaps telling him would help me.

"Well, Naruto…back when we were in the academy together…when we were just kids…and even after that for quite a while….I um…Ihadacrushyou." I said quickly, almost making the last part intelligible. It took Naruto a second to understand what I said.

Oh no, he thinks I'm weird now…I should have just kept quiet. I turned to leave, but he held me in place.

"I'm sorry Naruto…" I apologized, looking down.

Naruto laughed, "You have_ nothing_ to be sorry for." I heard him say, a grin spreading on his face, "Is that true?"

I nodded, "Y-yes…you were my idol back then…my crush, but I don't feel that way anymore. I love Kiba, and he's a wonderful boyfriend."

"He better remain that way too, or he'll have to answer to me if he upsets you." Naruto said half-jokingly.

I laughed a bit, then nodded.

"So…why didn't you ever ask me out on a date? I'm sure I wouldn't have turned you down. I mean, heck, you were cute back then, and as long as you don't go telling Kiba this, I'd probably say you've gotten even hotter looking." He said with a huge grin, rubbing the back of his head.

"N-Naruto!" I half gasped, half giggled, "Well, I guess I n-never asked you was-"

"You felt nervous? Scared of rejection?" he offered with a curious look.

"Yes." I replied.

Naruto smiled gently, then did something I would have done _anything_ for about five years ago. He held me in a hug, then kissed my cheek.

He winked at me, "Hinata…sorry for not noticing you as much back then. If this can make up at all, then how about if Sakura and I ever…well, um…"

"Get married?" I suggested, a smirk on my face. The change in color of his face must have been from tanned peach to deep crimson within a second.

"Yeah…when we…I mean IF we ever did…would you like to be…well, this is also only a possibility, but would you want to be our first kid's…aunt?" he continued.

"Aunt…?"

"Well, not a real aunt, um, more of a sponser, or guardian, you know," he paused to think, "A surrogate…yeah, a surrogate aunt I guess."

I was still blushing from our close proximity when I felt a few emotional tears drip down my face, "Really?"

"Oh shoot, I made you cry, didn't I? Just my luck to end up hurting a girl's feelings, especially one of my best-"

"Naruto, I'm not sad, I'm happy." I wrapped him up in a tight hug, "I'll come with you to the training grounds, that way Sakura won't beat you up…t-too much at least." I smiled.

Naruto laughed, and we started heading to the training grounds. All the way there I couldn't help but have a slight bounce in my step. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders, and I felt better with myself.

**End of chap.2- Awwwwww! Isn't it cute? Yeah, had to put in a NaruHina scene, even if it was a bit of friendship more or less. Well, that's another chapter down, many more to go. I'm not even sure how long this one could take. Well, hope you're liking this, and please R&R, because it makes me feel special on the inside…okay, I'm done with the overkill on fluff.**


	4. Surprise!

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto, just like everyone else on fanfiction**

**Chap. 3: Surprise!!**

(Naruto's P.O.V)

We got to the training grounds as quickly as possible, only to find that Kakashi and Sakura were nowhere in sight.

"Oh great…they probably got impatient and went home already. Sakura's probably mad…" I sighed.

"Maybe they went to a different spot on the grounds. We should try and look for them, Naruto." Hinata suggested.

"Good idea Hinata." I said, and then formed the seal for my Shadow Clone Jutsu. I split into five individuals, "Okay, we need to split up and search for Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei." I informed them. They nodded, and ran off into different directions. Then something caught my attention. A clone had tripped over a wire, which triggered a kunai to fly out of the trees, and cut another wire while whizzing through the air. This set off a chain of similar reactions, which lasted about a good minute.

"What the-?" before I could finish my question, a final wire was cut, which unraveled a large, yellow and orange banner. It read: "Happy 18th, Naruto!"

"Surprise!" yelled about twenty or so people that I knew.

I dispelled my clones, and looked at the group, then at Hinata. She was giggling at my confusion; she must have been in on this!

"Okay, whose idea was this?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Who do you think?" replied the voice of my pink-haired girlfriend. She stepped out from the group and had mischievous smile on her face, "Well, the whole party thing was my idea…but the kunai and wire scene was done thanks to Tenten." I heard Tenten laugh amongst the others.

I stood there, still trying to figure out why they were celebrating _my_ birthday. It was…unusual, since no one ever did it before. Sure, I went to the Third's and had ramen with him, but that was the extent of celebrating when I was a kid. I mean, Sakura making me breakfast was enough to make my day, but this…it was, almost too much for me to comprehend.

"You guys…you didn't have to do this all for me…" I said, my voice shaking slightly.

"Hey, come on Naruto, don't go and cry on us! It's your birthday, not your funeral." I heard Kiba remark.

"H-he's right Naruto…it's the least we could do for you." Hinata added as she walked over to Kiba.

"Happy birthday Naruto…" Sakura said as she wrapped her arms around me.

_'Don't cry, don't cry…'_

It was at this particular moment that a certain demon fox inside of me decided to speak for the first time today, **"Kit, let it out will you! I don't want to end up drowning in tears in my cage now!"**

_"Sure, Kyuubi…only because they're my friends though."_

**"Happy birthday Kit…kind of weird of me to say that, since my defeat was on the exact same day as your birth."**

_"I guess that's what they call irony."_

I heard Kyuubi laugh at my comment, and then he was quiet again. I let a few stray tears fall from my eyes, and I leaned down to Sakura's ear, "Thank you Sakura…you're by far the best girlfriend a guy could ever ask for. No one has ever thrown a party like this for me…you're the best Sakura-chan." I whispered, holding her closer, fearing that this was only a cruel dream.

Ka-chink!

"Jiraiya, give me that camera! Who knows what you'll _do _with that picture of the two." Tsunade warned, taking the camera from the gray haired Sannin.

"It was for Naruto, I-I swear Tsunade-hime." Jiraiya defended, waving his arms frantically.

We had a huge lunch, and to top it all off, a huge cauldron…of ramen! I swore that I was singing with the passion of a thousand angels at the moment.

After eating, I opened my presents…I got presents!!! Real presents, and not just new clothing!!!

"Here, Naruto open this first," Jiraiya said, handing me a box. I eyed him warily, and he laughed, "It's from Tsunade, Shizune, and me. Don't worry."

I unwrapped it to pull out three different scrolls, "Wind jutsu?"

"Yeah, we figured with you having the elemental affinity to wind, we decided to give a few scrolls that involve it. Just something you can work on during training." Answered Tsunade with a smile.

Next were Kurenai and her team. Kiba and Hinata gave me a set of Fuuma Shruiken, and Shino gave me an all-you-can-eat pass to Ichiraku's. I stuffed this into my pocket for later use, and thanked the bug user graciously.

Kurenai handed me a box with a ribbon wrapped around it. I untied it, and pulled out Asuma's two trench knives that he used so often.

"I thought that with you being a wind user yourself, he would have given them to you." Said Kurenai with a slightly sad smile.

"I'll take care of them Kurenai-san, I promise." I spoke with a nod.

Among the other gifts I received were a set of weighted clothing from Lee and Gai (orange and thankfully not green), a new set of silver kunai from Tenten and Neji, and from Gaara and his brother and sister, I set of custom fit chain metal clothing from Sunagakure.

"How'd you get the measurements for this?" I asked. Gaara and Kankuro looked at Temari, who in turn looked to Sakura. Sakura smiled and waved sheepishly at me.

The last gift I opened was from Team Ten. It was a…

"A vacuum…?" I asked, looking over at the three.

"Ino's idea, not ours…" Shikamaru replied with a shrug.

"I've seen that place of yours, believe me, this will do you some good." Ino commented.

Sakura and Kakashi came to me privately while the others socialized.

"Naruto, we've both got gifts for you, but we would prefer if you open them later at home. They're more of a personal thing." Kakashi said ruffling my hair.

"Hey, cut that out! I'm eighteen now!"

"That makes me thirty-three I guess." Kakashi laughed.

Five o' clock rolled around when Jiraiya wisely suggested that we end the party before Anko and Tsunade went too far with their little drinking contest. Before I began helping take down everything, I was stopped by Iruka and a somewhat drunken Anko.

"Naruto, here, I almost forgot our gift for you." He said.

"Anko helped too?" I asked with grin.

"'Ey, I 'eard that Naruto. For your 'formation, I did help get this for 'ou." She said with a slight sway to her. Iruka held her up, and she rested her head on his shoulder. About a year ago, Iruka and Anko had done the unthinkable and started seeing each other, and now they're engaged. I know, crazy, eh?

I took the paper scroll he handed to me, and pulled back the ribbon. The scroll looked like it was the kind of thing you'd find from the Hokage's office.

I unrolled the scroll, and my jaw dropped.

"Heheh, see Iruka-kun…? I tol' you he'd like it." Anko slurred while poking at Iruka's side, "Now come on, I wan' to go home an' sleep. I 'ave a mission tomorrow." She smiled as Iruka picked her up and kissed her cheek, which she giggled to in response.

I looked at the two, "Iruka-sensei…is this really…?"

"Yep, you're officially a Jonin," He smiled, "I figured that with you having passed the Chunin exams completely with flying colors, you might as well get bumped up to Jonin."

I looked back at the document stating my official rank as a Jonin, then back at the soon-to-be couple, "Thanks you two…so when's the big day."

Anko smirked, "Well…I believe it'll be 'nother four months from now. I hope we can have it ontop of the 'okage monument."

"Good, I'll be there." I said with thumbs up.

"Well, I should hope so; it wouldn't be much of a wedding without my best man not being there." Iruka added. We then said goodbye and I headed over to help the group.

Kakashi, Sakura, and I were passing by one of the food stands on our way to my house when I felt something hit me in the back of the head…something sticky. I rice ball.

"Hey, Demon!" I turned to the source of the noise, which turned out to be a middle-aged man, "How are you still alive after all these years, huh? Why won't you keel over and die already?!" A group of people by the stand glared at me coldly.

Sakura was stepping forward when I grabbed her wrist gently, "Don't bother…don't be angry with them, okay?" I spoke. She nodded and reluctantly stood by my side as we continued walking.

Kakashi looked over at the angry group, "You do realize that this 'demon' has a name, right?"

"Yeah, it Naruto Uzumaki, and he's the Kyuubi!" a few people yelled out in agreement to the statement.

"If he was really the Kyuubi," he paused and turned to continue walking, "He would have destroyed this village years ago."

There was no reply.

"Thanks Kakashi." Sakura said for me as we headed down the road.

"No one deserves to be treated like that when they never did anything wrong." Replied the silver-haired Jonin.

The walk home was a rather quiet one after that.

**End of Chap.3- Yeah, chapter 3 is complete! Well, there you go, some of the villagers are still ignorant like that. However, it's less than it used to be. Well, hope you liked this one, I'll update soon. And remember, people who review are cool! (wink)**


	5. Revealing the Past

**Disclaimer: You know, come to think of it…I'm glad I don't own Naruto. I can't draw _that_ good…**

**Chap.4: Revealing the Past**

(Kakashi's P.O.V)

We reached the front door of Naruto's apartment. I walked in and made myself at home on the couch. I then pulled out a scroll and summoned a box with tape covering the top.

"What's that?" Naruto asked me immediately upon seeing it.

"It's my gift along with Sakura's…well, Sakura found all the stuff inside this thing aside from an envelope with my gift in it…sorry we didn't wrap it or anything." I explained. Though I didn't show it, I was a bit worried. This gift could either make Naruto happy, or tear him apart. It may even make him stop being a ninja. However, he had to know…

Naruto looked at the box as I slid it over to him, and then turned towards me and Sakura. We nodded, and he pulled off the tape, and peeked inside. He was quiet.

"Kakashi-sensei…why are there pictures of the Yondaime and a woman in here?" the blonde asked me.

Sakura decided to answer, "Those are my gifts…Kakashi's is in the envelope right there." She then handed him a white, somewhat tattered envelope that had yet to be opened.

"…Naruto, those are pictures of…your parents." I answered.

(Naruto's P.O.V)

Did I just hear right? These two people in the photos are…my mom and dad?

"I found your birth certificate in a file in the very back of a storage room at the hospital…I think someone just chucked the file somewhere carelessly. I was lucky to find it, I thought that it was destroyed in a fire during the Sand and Sound Invasion all those years ago." Explained Sakura.

I sifted through the pictures and found it. It was torn down the middle, half of it was gone who knows where. It read:

Naruto Uzumaki

_Father: Yondaime of Konoha_

_Mother: _(the section was missing, much to my disappointment)

_Born on: the 10th of October, the year of…_ (Also missing, but I could care less)

There it was, the signature of my father…the one and only Fourth Hokage.

I looked at the envelope I had set aside, and picked it up. My hands were trembling slightly. It had the seal of Konoha on it…and official one used by the Hokage. I opened it and pulled out a few pages of paper with writing on it. The handwriting looked like it was done in a rush, but it was legible.

"I'll let you be for a while. I'll go make some supper." Sakura said, and left the room quietly, but not before giving me a gentle squeeze around the shoulders.

Kakashi got up and walked out, but stayed by the hallway entrance. I was kind of glad he stayed…he was the only person that was here who knew my dad.

I began to read the letter.

_Naruto,_

_This feels weird, writing to you before you can even read. Just a minute ago I was holding you in my arms, and now I've been informed that a nine-tailed demon fox has begun to ravage the outskirts of Konohagakure._

_Your mother unfortunately died after giving birth to you. I wish I had more time to mourn, but the village must come first, no matter what. She saw your face, and held you for a short period of time…then gave you to the nurse and said you were beautiful. I think she knew she was dying, so she said to name you Naruto. After that, she passed away. She was a wonderful woman Naruto, and had more energy than any other girl or woman in this village. I'm sure that you'll end up inheriting that energy as well._

_It is my last wish that after I seal away the demon fox (which by now, if you're as much of a rule-breaker as I was, know about being inside of you), that you be treated as a hero…but I can only imagine that the complete opposite has occurred. I also asked that know one should be informed that you are my son until you were old enough…if they knew, things may have been even worse for you._

_By now it should be common knowledge of what resides in you Naruto, aside from the great chakra potential you already have, yes; I'm talking about the Kyuubi. I'm sure you know how to use the demon-fox's chakra, but promise me you'll never go overboard with it. The fox knows that if either of you dies, you will take the other one with, so I'm sure that it won't hesitate to lend you its power._

_I hope that you got this letter from the right person, my former student Kakashi Hatake. He's a talented shinobi, and with any luck, he might teach you and your team some day…that is, if you become a ninja. You may not know this, but Kakashi has probably been watching over you from a distance since you were a kid. If you ever meet him, listen to what he has to say, because you're bound to learn something from him._

_One other thing I hope you'll do is meet _my _former sensei, Jiraiya. If you do, you may be able to learn the technique I spent a few years developing, but was unable to complete, the Rasengan. It's halfway complete, and quite powerful. With your mother and my powers combined in you, chakra shouldn't be a problem…plus, the Kyuubi is always available for a boost._

(I noticed at about this point that the ink was a little blotched…and water marks were dotting the paper…had he been crying while wrote this?)

_I'm sorry that we never had a chance to truly talk, Naruto. Understand though that you truly are a hero, and above all, my son. I care about you, and love you enough to die for you. You mean everything to your mother and I…that's why I died for you. Your mother did too, she was holding on by a thread, but she managed to give birth to you, and give me a son. Though we may never be 'there' physically Naruto, remember that we are a part of you…nothing will ever change that. Good luck, Son, and always aim true to your goals and dreams. Nothing is impossible for you…nothing._

_Dad_

I felt the sting of tears being held back, but I held them back. I had to be strong, I had to.

"He…really cared about you, Naruto…I remember him handing me the envelope and telling me to give it to you when you were old enough…and asked me to watch over you. I must have been close to your age at that time," he paused, letting me take it all in, "I was lucky to have him for a sensei. I promised myself that I wouldn't let you get into serious danger. It was the least I could do for the Fourth."

I cocked my head to the side. Did we ever meet before I became a Genin? I mean, how many times have ANBU saved me from being killed by an angry mob? I tried to recall meeting any with striking silver hair. Kakashi seemed to have read my mind.

"We meet once when you turned…oh…I think…seven. Yes, it was actually during the festival to celebrate the Kyuubi's defeat, and as always, your birthday."

**Flashback**

"There's the demon! Get him!" yelled voices from a group of villagers. I was running down a street, not a single person trying to help me. I was tired from already running all day without rest. By now, I was ready to quit.

I felt a sharp pain as something hit me in the back of the head, most likely a brick or stone. I felt dizzy, but tried to keep running…

I fell to the ground, and screamed at my body to get up, but with little success. I saw the mob's angry glares, and simply shut my eyes, ready to take the beating. This was probably the last one I'd ever receive with any luck. This would finish me…

A loud bang got my attention, and I looked up to see an ANBU in full gear, including an animal mask, standing between me and the blood-thirsty villagers.

"What seems to be the problem here?" asked the ANBU in a rather calm, yet serious voice.

"That…that _thing_ is the problem!" spat an angry woman.

The ANBU looked down at me, then at the woman. He shook his head slightly.

"You mean this little boy right here?" he asked, placing a hand on my head, and ruffling my hair a little, "What did he do?"

"He's the demon-fox!" yelled a man, who looked slightly drunk.

I swore I heard the ANBU mutter the words 'idiots' under the roar of agreement from the mob, who was now moving in. I saw the ANBU get up.

"No…don't leave me…" I pleaded in a strained, hoarse whisper, hoping the ANBU would at least bring me a few feet away so I could get a head start and run. The ANBU seemed to have already planned on helping way before hand when I saw him nod while looking down at me.

"Enough, I'm taking the boy to the Hokage's so he can be dealt with properly." Spoke the silver-haired ninja as he heaved me over his shoulders. There were shouts of protest against it of course, "Did he commit any crimes?"

Silence.

"Just as I thought…go back to the festival and consider yourselves lucky that I don't have you all arrested for public violence." He finished and jumped off with me on his back.

"Thank…you…Mr. ANBU…" I croaked.

"Just rest, we'll be at the Hokage's in a bit." He spoke as I blacked out.

I awoke to find myself on a cot with a few blankets over me in the Third Hokage's house. I then heard a voice.

"Did you sleep well, Naruto?" asked the Third Hokage.

"My head really hurts." I answered, rolling over to face the elderly shinobi.

"I'll go get you some ice and a bowl of ramen. Just relax for now." Spoke the Sandaime as he got up and headed to his kitchen.

I then noticed another figure in the room, next to the balcony. It was the ANBU from earlier. I slowly got up, and walked over to him.

"Hi." I said with a smile.

The ANBU looked at me and nodded politely. Though he had a mask on, I could tell that he had a smile on his face from the kindness he had in his voice, "Glad to see you're better. You took quite a blow to the back of the head. Mind if I look."

I nodded, and turned so he could look. He spread back my hair, murmured to himself about 'healing fast' and 'I expected as much'. He then let go and spoke, "Well, it's a good thing I kept a close eye on you tonight. It's not that bad of a injury, it should be better over time." He finished with another ruffling of my hair.

I looked at him curiously, "You were watching over me tonight?"

He nodded, "Yep, I've seen how much you go through, especially on the day of the Festival."

I folded my arms, "So, how much are you getting paid?"

He laughed, "Nothing."

"Huh?"

"Yep, just doing it out of the goodness in my heart." He laughed, but I knew he meant it.

"Thank you Mr. ANBU. You and the old man are some of the only people who care about me."

"No problem. Well, I'm off now. Tell the Sandaime that I said 'bye'." He then got up to leave.

"Mr. ANBU, wait."

"What's the matter?"

"Do you…think that I can become a ninja someday too?"

He didn't hesitate for a second, "If you want to be one bad enough, then I believe you will be one someday."

I smiled, "Really? Awesome!"

"Heh, you take care of yourself, Naruto."

"Oh, one more thing! Do you think we'll meet again someday?" I asked before he jumped away.

He put a hand on his chin and thought about it this time, "I imagine so, if I don't die on a mission before then. Truthfully, this ANBU business is just a little too much for me. I might consider becoming a Jonin again."

"Maybe when I graduate the academy I can show you how strong I am!" I said while hopping up and down.

"I look forward to it." He said, and jumped off into the night.

**End flashback**

"Oh yeah, I guess we did meet when I was a kid."

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, and I had a feeling that we would meet again. I actually hoped to have you in my team of Genin so I could have a chance to teach you what I learned at your age."

"…was the bell test my dad's idea?"

Kakashi simply laughed.

"Kakashi-sensei, thank you." I said, feeling a tear run down my cheek.

Kakashi walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "Your father would be proud of what you've become, Naruto, I mean it. You're truly the son of the Fourth Hokage. I can only imagine what you'll be like when you're the next Hokage." He started to leave the room, "Sakura's made dinner, and it smells good. Come on, let's go eat."

I put on a grin, a fake one, but nevertheless convincing…almost.

"Naruto, if you have something you want to ask me, go ahead." Kakashi spoke, seeing my charade.

I sighed, he was almost as good as Sakura at telling my fake ones from my real ones, "Did…my father know what I would go through as a kid?"

Kakashi sighed, "Yes and no…he predicted, and was correct, that you would go through with the torment…but he hoped against all hopes that he was wrong."

"I see…well, let's go eat." I finished. A part of me felt better knowing of my heritage…but another part still needed some healing…that part could wait though.

**End of Chap.4- Wow, wasn't that moving? I had written this chapter out on notebook paper more than a month ago, and know I'm content in having finished it and putting it on my story. Don't worry, I have more finished that has yet to be written. **

**On a side note, thank you to all who reviewed. Your opinions help drive me to continue working on this…sadly, all I can do to reward you is give you more chapters…no muffins. I love muffins, much like some reviewers of this story do. That's why it pains me to say that, I have no muffins to give…I'm sorry…sniffle.**

**More chappies are on the way! R&R please!**


	6. The First Move

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but Sakura Haruno does…**

**Chap.5: The First Move**

**Note: This chapter has a hint of themes that children may find appalling. I guess you could consider this a grape…not a lemon…moving on now.**

(Sakura's P.O.V)

I saw Kakashi walk down the steps with his usual slouch. I had expected to hear the bounding footsteps come down the steps of his apartment, but they never came. I instead saw a rather quiet Naruto walking slowly down the steps. Kakashi gave me a look that said 'he'll be all right', so I said nothing.

We ate quietly, I was doing most of the talking while Kakashi nodded and added a word or two every once in a while, his back turned to us so he could eat without us seeing his face. Naruto would grunt every now and then to verify his presence.

Kakashi got up from the table after he finished eating, "Thanks for the food Sakura, best I've had in a while. Well, I'm calling it a night. Oh yeah, by the way, we've got a mission with the Sand siblings in two days…some kind of escort mission for a person with relations between Suna and Konoha. It's a B-class. That's all that Tsunade bothered to tell me, so just make sure you're ready at the gates at nine o' clock in the morning two days from now, okay?"

We nodded in response, and he said goodbye. With that, he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto helped me clean up, and then he went to the small living room of his apartment. Now, mind you, this apartment was completely different from the one he had about three years ago. This one was two stories, and had much more living space. With the added living space, this place had become my home away from home. You could tell with the potted vase of Sakura blossoms in the corner, the feather pillows on the couch…along with the plastic containers of pickled Ume fruit in the fridge. Naruto constantly complained that his left over ramen was much more important, but I remained strong in keeping my precious food safe from the garbage.

I had an idea as to why Naruto was looking so depressed, so I sat down next to him on the couch, and rested my head on his shoulder. He pulled me close and sighed.

"Want to talk?" I asked him. He nodded.

"What's the matter, Naruto?" I asked him gently, holding his hands. He let out a quiet laugh.

"You know what? I just found out a little while ago that my father was the very man who sealed Kyuubi in me, the Fourth Hokage…talk about irony." He was smiling, and I could tell he was not faking it. He seemed…proud.

"So…how does it feel?" I hesitated, "I feel kind of lucky."

Naruto gave me a confused look.

"I mean…Kakashi-sensei was the Yondaime's student, and now I find out that my boyfriend is the great Hokage's son…not many kunoichi can say such things about _their_ boyfriends." I winked.

Naruto seemed to brighten up a bit, "Heh, you just stay with me for my looks."

"Well, I can see where you got them from. From what I understand, the Yondaime was quite handsome." I laughed.

"Well, he didn't have these charming whisker marks, did he?" Naruto grinned, wagging his eyebrows at me.

"Yeah, well, they do give you a…cute look…" I said, smiling at his childish behavior.

"Cute, huh?" he grinned.

"Yes, but not any smarter." I laughed, embracing him in a tackle hug, knocking us both to the floor. We began laughing.

I opened my eyes to find myself staring into the deep, sapphire orbs of Naruto's. That's one thing I noticed that hadn't changed at all about Naruto; his eyes still had that youthful gleam to them.

"I could get lost in those eyes of yours, Sakura-chan." Naruto breathed, his eyes hazing over slightly.

"Same here, Naruto."

"Hey, Sakura…do you remember way back when we first became Genin and became a team?" Naruto asked me randomly.

"Yeah…when we were Team 7?"

"Yeah…well, you have such a beautiful forehead, I could kiss it." He smiled.

I gave him a confused look, and tried to comprehend the weird statement he just made to me…wait a minute…

"…Sasuke said that to me…" I remembered.

Naruto laughed, "That wasn't Sasuke…"

"What are you- wait…do you mean…?"

"That was _me_, disguised as Sasuke." He beamed, having seen that his jutsu had convinced me all those years ago.

I gave him another confused look, but then grinned, "You froze up on me. You were nervous, weren't you?"

"Well, I drank some bad milk that morning, and got gut-rot as a result…"

I gave him a skeptical look.

"…and I was nervous…" he continued.

I folded my arms as I sat up, "Heh, figures. I've always had to make the first move on you."

(Naruto's P.O.V)

'First move, what's that supposed to mean?' I thought.

**"I believe that means she tends to initiate most of the action in your intimate moments." Kyuubi spoke.**

He had a point. I was often the one unsure of what to do during such moments. Kyuubi said that it was due to my lack of relations with women during my younger years…but still…

Now here I am at eighteen, still a coward in making the first move with Sakura.

"Sakura…are you happy to be my girlfriend? Be honest?" I asked.

She gave me a surprised look, "Of course I am, Naruto. Why, are you happy with me?"

"Yes, and I always will…but I can't help but feel that I'm not good at showing it sometimes. For example, I don't always get you the best gifts on your birthday, and I don't tip well at restaurants…um-"

"Naruto, stop it. You have the kindest heart of any shinobi in all Konoha; no scratch that, the world. You're never selfish, and you even help my family when they need it…Temari has been trying to get Shikamaru to come to Sunagakure more often with her family, but it's tough. So, yes, I am happy with you…" she spoke.

"So…um?"

"I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend." She finished.

"Yes you could."

"Naruto, stop with the self-pity act, right now. You _know_ I love you, and I am very pleased that we are together…" she however frowned at the last part.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Well, I suppose there's something else that I'd like in our relationship…" she replied quietly.

"What's that?" I asked with equal quietness.

Sakura said nothing, but instead, spoke to me with her eyes. She gave me a nervous, yet loving look…a look of longing…the kind of look that I've wanted from her since who know's how long.

I gulped, "S-Sakura, I thought you said to Kakashi-sensei that we wouldn't-"

"Kakashi-sensei doesn't need to know everything…but it's up to you if we…do this…" Sakura said, leaning closer. Her breath was tickling my cheeks.

I was trembling…heck, I was down right scared! There were no re-dos, no second chances in this…once we did it, that was that.

'Kyuubi, what should I do?' I thought.

**"I can't help you here, Kit. It's _your_ choice. Do what you feel is right." **Replied the demon-fox and he then cut off all connections. Damn, he wasn't helping me…or was he?

I looked at Sakura, who was smiling at me with those wonderful green eyes of hers, "Sakura…you don't feel…pressured to do this at all, do you?"

She smoothed back my hair, "No, and I don't want you to either…I can wait until you're ready."

Well, that helped me solve the problem.

I picked her up, which Sakura responded to with a slight 'eep!'. I carried her to the bedroom, giving her kisses on the neck. I placed her on the bed, and sat next to her on my knees. My heart was beating like a gong being pounded on with a jackhammer.

"Sakura…I've never…well, I mean, I'm still…"

"I'm still a virgin too." She replied, lying under the bedsheets. I looked on the floor to see her dress, shorts, and under garments lying next to me.

"How did you-?"

"A little trick Ino taught me…a jutsu of some sort." She winked.

"Choji's a lucky guy," I chuckled, "Um…Sakura…I'm not entirely sure how to uh…well, I know how, but, you know, how to approach this."

"Same here," she admitted, revealing a bit more of herself from under the sheets, but still remaining decent. I suddenly looked down to see only my boxers on.

I gave Sakura a surprised look, and she winked at me.

"Then how will I know what to do?" I asked her, crawling onto the bed. You know, this wasn't completely new to me, Sakura and I have shared a bed before…but we never did this!

"We'll just have to learn from each other then." She said, pulling me close.

"What about the risk of getting…I mean, I can run to the drug store quick and buy a box, I'll be back in five minutes, I swear!"

"Naruto, kunoichi are required to take classes in prevention, and that goes double for medic-nin such as me. In fact, I've taught a few classes on jutsu birth control," she gave me a seductive look, "So that means that you're going nowhere tonight…understood? I know a few justsu for releasing muscle tension; I can only imagine how _tense_ you must be."

The room temperature must have gone up ten degrees at that moment, "T-tension…? Really?? Uh, I- uh…"

Sakura smiled, and put a finger to my lips. I saw a fire burning in her eyes, much like that of Inner Sakura. Oh merciful heavens, I was way in over my head, but I wouldn't back down now!

"You don't know how long I've waited for this." She whispered as I leaned into her. She made a hand seal, and I felt a slight rush of chakra; must have been the jutsu that kunoichi are required to learn in prevention.

"You don't have to wait any longer." I replied, and we embraced.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

(Sakura's P.O.V)

We lay in bed, quietly breathing. Naruto was holding me close, his head resting on me.

"Sakura…that was…amazing…I never felt this wonderful in my entire life." He spoke with honesty.

I looked at him, "Same here Naruto, it was wonderful."

"You did kind of scare me before when you yelped out in the beginning." He added.

"That's what first times can be like for women sometimes. Don't worry though, I'll be fine." I explained.

Naruto settled down upon hearing that, and kissed me on the cheek. It was going on eight thirty at night, so we just decided to lie down in the bed and drift off to sleep.

Yes, I was truly happy with Naruto and my relationship.

**End of chap.5-….um, yeah, like I've said before in my previous story relating to this, I'm not a lemon writer. You're free to use your imagination as to how the whole in between stuff went. This chapter was to show that the two are really in love with each other, and it's not just puppy love anymore. I don't know if I'll write anymore stuff like this in the story, but you never know. I can be full of surprises, but I don't plan on breaking the T-rating. **

**Well, thanks for reading this chapter, more is on the way. R&R, and maybe I'll have the guys of the Rookie Nine sing Billy Joels' "For the Longest Time" in a later chapter…just kidding.**


	7. Adopted Family

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, believe it!**

**Chap. 6: Adopted Family**

(Naruto's P.O.V)

I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock. I quickly turned it off, and saw that it read a quarter after seven in the morning. Why did I leave the alarm on again? Wait, now I remember…

"Sakura, hey…Sakura-chan…wake up." I whispered. Sakura groaned like a little kid, and put an arm around me.

"My mom doesn't expect us at her house until noon…we can sleep in Naruto-kun." She said without opening her eyes.

"You know I don't fall back asleep that easily." I replied, yawning despite what I just said.

"Then stay here and keep me warm." Sakura replied, putting her head on my shoulder. She let out a content sigh, and muttered, "I'm not really a morning person, you know that Naruto."

"That makes two of us." I smiled.

One emerald eye opened lazily, "So…you feeling all right after last night?" she smirked a little at my blush.

"I'm a little sore…but yeah, I'm just great otherwise." I answered.

"Hm, well, I can take care of the soreness for you…" she yawned, and let her healing aura of chakra flow from her body into mine.

Next to last night, this healing technique she used on me was the best. I still remember the first time she used it; the night when I returned after a team of ninja I was on defeated Orochimaru. She basically just lied next to me and poured her chakra into me at a comforting, slow rate. Best of all, she only used this healing technique on me…and no one else.

"Hope your mom makes ramen again," I said while relaxing my muscles under the now soothing warmth from Sakura's chakra.

"Naruto, she loves you to pieces, I'm sure she made a good cauldron full of it for you." Sakura answered, slowly drifting back to sleep after ending the healing jutsu.

Ever since I started dating Sakura, I had become a member of her family. I was scared of what her parents might think of me at first, but those worries were immediately washed away when her mother offered to make me some beef ramen, seeing as it was after supper when I was going to take Sakura out. Her mother assumed that I hadn't eaten, and she was right. My first date with Sakura was something that made me nervous enough to skip supper.

Sakura told me that she talked to her parents about me weeks before we thought of going out. Her mother was overjoyed at having her daughter finally find a boyfriend, and her father said that he trusted her judgment. I was still surprised to see that neither of her parents didn't glare at me.

As a result of being accepted by her family, I've made it a ritual to stop by the Haruno household at least once a week to help Mrs. Haruno out when her husbands gone for business, or when Sakura's on a mission that requires a medical ninja. Mrs. Haruno would often talk to me about how she was so proud of Sakura being the Hokage's apprentice, and how she was a medic-nin.

I shifted my thoughts back to Sakura, and smiled at her. She was starting to doze off again. I slowly began to climb out of bed when she wrapped her arm around me.

"No. You stay here." She said…okay, demanded. I laughed and submitted to her request.

It was about half past ten when we decided to get out of bed and get ready. We left at eleven and arrived a little before noon.

"So, what do we tell her about-?"

"Naruto, don't worry. We both are eighteen, and we can make our own choices…in fact, once a person's fifteen in Konohagakure, they're legal…but, it's a little taboo I guess to many." Sakura said, "Besides, I think my mother would feel much better with me having lost it to my boyfriend than to an enemy during a mission."

"Good point." I agreed as we approached the door to Sakura's house. I knocked on the door and we immediately heard the bustling of pots and pans.

"Just a minute!" called a woman's voice in a sing-song tone. Seconds passed when the door opened to reveal a pink-haired woman, "Oh, Sakura, Naruto! Come in, come in!" she smiled, wrapping her arms around her equally pink-haired daughter….I wonder why I never see any pink haired boys around…must be something to do with the XY stuff…

"Hi, Mom." Sakura greeted, hugging her mother.

Mrs. Haruno turned to me, and gave me a smile, "Naruto, how are you doing today?" I returned the smile, and gave the Haruno matriarch a hug as well, "Eighteen…it seems like just yesterday that you walked up these front steps for your first date with my daughter with a boquet in your hand…and they weren't bought either. They were wild flowers. Now how romantic is-?"

"Mom, please." Sakura groaned.

"Right, right…well let's get inside and have some lunch. Now, Naruto, I know you're particular to my pork ramen, but I only had shrimp available." Mrs. Haruno said, ushering us in.

Now, Ichiraku's was wonderful, heaven forbid that I ever say otherwise. However, there was something about the taste of homemade noodles that made me feel even better.

After we ate, Mrs. Haruno gave me a large box full of clothing, both casual and formal, as well as some new ninja attire…I had an inkling suspicion that she received the idea from Sakura. I was disappointed, seeing as I didn't particularly like wearing the same sweaty shirt every other day with the way my odor gets.

"Naruto dear, could you do me a favor and bring in those bins of vegetables out in my garden? They weigh quite a bit for me, but you shouldn't have a problem with them." Mrs. Haruno asked me while she and Sakura did the dishes.

"No problem, it'll be done in no time, believe it!" I said rolling up my sleeves. Usually while I was busy with something in such times of getting together with Sakura's family, Sakura and her mom would have a talk.

Sure enough, as soon as I walked out of the kitchen and into the back, I heard the murmur of their voices.

"_Hey, Kyuubi, you think Mrs. Haruno will be angry with me after she finds out?"_ I asked the demon fox.

**"Hard to tell, Kit…I've been around for a good couple of centuries and I still don't get the other gender most of the time…it's just something we put into a higher power I guess." **Answered Kyuubi, **"There are just some things in life that are too troublesome to deal with for us males."**

"…_You've been listening to Shikamaru too much…you have a point though."_ I replied.

(Sakura's P.O.V)

Yep, should have saw this coming…Naruto turning eighteen not only made more opportunities open for him, but for me as well. Mom knew this, and was having a heart to heart talk about with me.

"Sakura, I know you're an adult now, and older than Naruto as well by quite a few months, so I just want you to be smart about your choices." She continued.

I had surprised us both when I openly confessed what Naruto and I had done last night. She took it rather well…she almost gave me the impression of…relief.

"So…you're not angry with me?" I asked.

"Should I be?" she asked rhetorically, "Naruto's a fine young man, even if he houses the Kyuubi…even then, if it wasn't for the fact that he harbors the demon, you may not be here. He's protected you countless times…I owe him a lot." She hesitated, then spoke, a little shaky, but not a scared kind, "Sakura, I hope this doesn't bother you when I say this, but, Naruto has your father and my permission to marry you…should that occur. Your father told me this last week before he left for his business trip."

I gave her a blank, yet content look. Marry Naruto? Well, that idea of marriage used to be Sasuke, but now I couldn't possibly think of anyone else besides the blonde haired ninja. I smiled, and little to my surprise, I heard a voice in my head announce my feelings with ten times the intensity.

_"Cha!!!! Naruto belongs to no one else but us!!! Sakura Uzumaki, that has a nice ring to it!!!"_

"Thanks Mom." I said, feeling my voice crack with emotion.

"We can start packing your things in your room when you get back from your mission." She added.

"What?"

"I mean, if you still want too…you did say that you wanted to move in to Naruto's, correct?" she replied, turning to me.

"Oh, right. Heh, I thought you were throwing me out." I sighed with relief.

"No, I wouldn't dream of doing that. What kind of mother do you take me for?" she laughed.

Naruto walked in, followed by three clones, all carrying large crates.

"Come on, you're slowing us down!!"

"Hey, don't rush me! _I'm _the one carrying the tomatoes, since they're so easy to squish, so I have to take my time!"

"Will you two quit arguing, you're holding up the line! We got two more guys coming with the melons, and that will be at least a ton on its own!"

The clones hauled the crates into the storage area, and headed back out, still arguing over the crates.

My mother snickered, and then as soon as they were out of earshot, burst out laughing, "I swear Sakura, he's a one man circus sometimes. The way he argues with himself is just…just so…"

"Just so Naruto-like?" I suggested.

"Yes." She said, recovering from her fit of laughter.

After Naruto and I said goodbye mom, and left to my soon-to-be-former residence, I gave Naruto a peck on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Naruto smiled.

"For being yourself. Don't ever change on me anytime soon, okay?" I answered.

**End of chapter 6- Yay, another chapter reeled in, gutted, and mounted…never mind. Well, this chapter was one of those 'filler types' until we get to the mission…there will probably be another few until then, but they'll be important nevertheless. Just for the Temari and Shikamaru couple supporters out there, I'll be having chapters with such content, so keep an eye open, okay? Until then, please read and review, because it makes me grin. Thanks!**


	8. Kyuubisensei

**Disclaimer: Naruto is from Japan, not America…even if I did own him, I'd have no idea what he was saying…sad, huh?**

**Chap. 7: Kyuubi-sensei**

(Naruto's P.O.V)

Unfortunately, Sakura was scheduled to work after lunch, so I had to train alone this afternoon.

Well, not really 'alone'…

**"Kit, you want to train with me today, or by yourself?"**

_"Hmm…I think I'll spar with you today."_ I replied to Kyuubi.

Kyuubi chuckled to himself, **"Okay, that's what I like to hear. So, how much power shall we use?"**

_"One tail each…well, one for me to use from you, and you use the other one. Sound good?" _I answered.

**"Good, let's get started then, shall we?" **said the demon fox. I sat down on the grass, and I closed my eyes to enter my mind.

I reappeared in front of the cage that housed my demon resident. I walked through the bars of the cage, and felt a rush of power surge through my coils. Kyuubi was standing before me, chakra flaring. He had activated two of his gates, one which I was currently using. One tail equaled the power of one gate.

We made this sparring session a weekly thing. Kyuubi and I would fight each other using our chakra (well, I did borrow some from him most of the time).

My whisker marks darkened, and my teeth became pointed. I felt my nails sharpen, and I felt a feral growl escape my throat.

**"Ready, Kit?"** asked the Kyuubi, who assumed a crouching stance.

"…bring it…" I replied.

Kyuubi wasted no time, and slashed one of his giant claws at me, which I back flipped to avoid. I side-stepped to avoid an onslaught of tails, but got slammed into a chamber wall…dodging all of them was tough.

I pushed off the wall and slammed my whole body into Kyuubi's skull. The demon fox lost his balance a few seconds, but quickly recovered.

I suddenly felt a rush of chakra build up from my fox opponent, **"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"** and the next thing I knew, a blast of fire escaped the mouth of the demon fox.

I ran up a wall and back flipped into the air. I performed the proper seals, and about fifty clones appeared in thin air. We quickly rushed down to Kyuubi, while another half ran under the fox's belly and kicked him into the air.

"Naruto Uzumaki Barrage!!!" we all yelled in unison, and finished with an axe kick to Kyuubi's face. He hit the ground with a deafening thud, and groaned in pain.

**"That was good…however,"** Kyuubi's eye's glowed, **"I can make clones too."**

Kyuubi was interesting in the fact that, well, he didn't create hand seals. He was just able to conjure up the jutsu, but he said there was a limitation to doing this. So far, I have yet to see him reach a limit with the ability, **"Shadow Clone Jutsu!!"**

My clones and I were now surrounded by about a dozen nine-tailed demon foxes…real foxes, not illusions.

"I think were done for…" whispered a clone.

"Yeah right, he just gave us more targets to use."

"Yeah, we've still got him outnumbered!"

One of the Kyuubi clones laughed, **"You do realize that I'm capable of beating all of you just by myself, right?"**

"You wish!" we retorted, "Let's finish this!"

I started gathering chakra and molding it with the help of another clone. We combined all of our chakra into a solid, spiraling blue sphere, at least three times the size of a normal Rasengan.

**"You know that technique is reckless to use, Kit. You do, after all, know the completed version now." **I heard one of the Kyuubi's say with a smirk.

"Well, considering the situation," I spoke as we aimed at the Kyuubi clones around us, "This is as good as any time to be reckless. Odama Rasengan!!!"

I pushed the ball of chakra into the air, and my clones and I followed its trajectory. We quickly kicked it back to the ground, and watched as an explosion engulfed the surrounding area. When the dust cleared, I noticed two of Kyuubi's clones were missing.

I dispelled my shadow clones, and Kyuubi followed suit as well. We continued our early fight with one on one attacking.

After an hour…well, I believe it was an hour, I was tired. However, seeing the great Kyuubi panting made me grin with a hint of pride.

"Kyuubi, are you…getting tired?"

**"For your information, Kit, I'm restricting myself to using only one gateway for myself, and the other one is being used by you. So, technically I have every right to be a bit winded right now." **Kyuubi snapped, but I couldn't help but see a small grin on his face, **"Kit, you've gotten much stronger from when we first started this ritual of ours…you've come along way."**

I rubbed the back of my head. A compliment from the great nine-tailed fox was rare…very rare.

**"Say, Kit…you want to learn how to use five of my gateways?" **the demon fox asked me suddenly.

"Wait, is that physically possible for me? Can I really use that much power without going crazy and, well, not die?" I asked, shocked by his suggestion.

I had asked Kyuubi once why exactly I couldn't withstand using four gateways. He explained the reason as this, **"You're a human; I'm a demon. Too much of my chakra at once is like filling a balloon with methane gas, and then placing it in a room full of candles."**

Mind you, we were not on the friendliest of terms back when I first used it…so when he took control it _was_ intentional when he hurt someone who was my friend. However, part of the reason was due to the fact that so much chakra being used by me caused me and him to kind of go…berserk. We were sharing the same body in a sense, so if I was affected by something that involved chakra, so was he…most of the time.

Since then, the only real downside of the four-tailed form was the whole burning and rapid healing cycle that I went through…apparently that could be my death one of these days according to Sakura. Such rapid killing and regenerating of cells could end up killing me. That's kind of scary if you ask me.

I looked at Kyuubi and he nodded, **"I understand the concern you have, but I've been monitoring your chakra coils along with my own. I think I found a way to use five tails and avoid the damage."**

I smiled, "Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's do this!"

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

(1 hour later)

(Kyuubi's P.O.V)

I looked down at the blonde shinobi…he was sleeping after collapsing from exhaustion.

"**You're powerful, Kit…even without my power. I'm…proud of you…" **I sat down and watched him, **"Heh, you've softened me up, damn you."**

Naruto rolled over in his sleep, muttering something about Hokage.

In all the centuries I've been alive, I never thought I'd become part of an infant child's chakra…I still remember when he and I first met face to face; I tried to devour him.

Now the thought of killing Naruto seemed…idiotic…impossible for me to try and do. He trusted me as well. He was now completely vulnerable to my power as he slept only a few feet away from my jaws, yet he chose to rest in my cage.

Trust…

I put my tail over him to keep him from getting any colder in this damp cage. I found it funny how we understood each other so well. I believe it was after I explained why he went rampant in his four-tailed form that he finally was able to give his trust to me. Now whenever I loaned him chakra, he merely asked for it, and stopped calling it 'payment for renting his body'. I had managed to recently nullify the effects of the savage behavior in the four-tailed form…at least for a couple of minutes. We still eventually had trouble distinguishing between friend and foe after a while, but it was an improvement for before. The damage still persisted.

There was a time when I didn't care who I attacked until these past couple of years. Now, I actually had 'precious people'; namely Sakura, her family, Naruto's friends, and so on…

"**Just you wait, Kit, once we perfect the five-tailed form, then we'll be one step closer to making you the Hokage…and being able to take out Akatsuki…"** I said with a smirk. It wasn't that wonderful to think about though…well the last part at least. If I didn't help Naruto with the organization of rogue ninja, then we'd both end up receiving a bad deal; Naruto would die, and I'd be imprisoned in an even worse way.

I decided to avoid such thoughts for now, and went to sleep.

Two hours passed and I heard two voices calling for Naruto. The blonde was still sleeping, so I nudged him awake. He woke up and yawned.

"What?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

**"Choji and Shikamaru are trying to wake you up."** I replied.

"Oh, well I guess I'll see you later then." He grinned, and disappeared as he returned to his conscious state.

I lied down on the ground again and yawned, **"I haven't felt this drained since I removed that toxin from the boy a couple years ago." **

I cracked my neck and closed my eyes. I could only wonder what the next eighteen years would be like with the kid.

**End of chap.7- Woohoo! A story with Kyuubi's P.O.V! How cool, eh? Well, there you go, Naruto's gotten stronger, and now he's training with Kyuubi to learn a new power…oh, the excitement is too much for you, isn't it…ahem, anyway, please R&R, and I'll update soon!**


	9. Memories and Reunions

**Disclaimer: Disclaiming Style: Disclaimer no Jutsu! I do not own Naruto…sorry, I had to do it at least once…**

**Chap. 8: Memories and Reunions**

(Naruto's P.O.V)

I opened my eyes and saw the familiar faces of Choji and Shikamaru.

"Geez, we thought you were in a coma." Choji said as he gave me a hand and lifted me up from the ground.

"Yeah, sorry about that…I'm a heavy sleeper." I laughed, "So, what's up?"

Shikamaru frowned, "We have that required visit to the academy to teach the students about techniques and battle combat…" he sighed, "Choji and I were going to ask Kiba to come with, but he was suddenly 'too busy' with the with his family's dogs to help…and being that you are now an official Jonin of Konoha, we're asking you to come with."

"Yeah, and when we asked Ino, she said she and Sakura had some special classes to teach the kunoichi Chunin today…" Choji added.

"Wait, let me guess the class…how to seduce the male gender into a false sense of security to obtain information or kill them?" I suggested. Choji nodded while muttering 'she practices it with me all the time'.

"Temari's there with the two as well, since she came here to come to your party, she and her brothers figured they'd stay for another day." Shikamaru continued.

"You know, about six years ago, I would have never imagined us like this…all of us being whipped by those girls…" Choji groaned, but I knew he wasn't all that upset.

Choji, out of all the Rookie Nine and Team Guy, had changed the most physically. He lost about seventy pounds and gained most of it back in muscle…and yes, he was actually big-boned. He became the second-place powerhouse out of all of us, with Lee obviously being the strongest physically. From what I heard, Ino was quite pleased with the change from when he was younger. However, he still was able to use his family's jutsu styles, which was good. It just hurt more now when he turned into a ball, being that muscle is more solid than fat.

"Well, I guess we should get going then." I shrugged, and we started off towards the academy.

We arrived at the academy during the kids' recess. I spotted Iruka standing by the door, scolding three boys who seemed to be either ignoring, or smirking at him.

"I don't _care_ if those where training kunai! You do _not_ go throwing them at the other student's without supervision!!" yelled the academy teacher, who had a vein throbbing on his temple.

"Hoo boy, Iruka-sensei's already on another tirade of his" Choji commented.

"Are you three even listening?!" continued Iruka, raising his volume and blood pressure ever so steadily.

"Iruka-sensei, we're here!" I called out. Iruka turned to us, smiled, and then quickly grabbed the boys as they tried to escape.

Shikamaru took a look at the three kids, then asked, "So, who are these three? They seem to be quite troublesome students…" Shikamaru knew all too well what Iruka went through, since he had been asked to teach for a few months while Konoha had been short on ninja, making Iruka needed for missions.

"None of your business!" yelled one of the boys.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, the lazy, yet bothered look still on his face, "Really? Well, I guess I'll make it my business then," he then used his Shadow Imitation technique to hold the three in place, "Now, why don't you stay here and wait for recess to end?"

"Hey, let us go!" they yelled, but Shikamaru put a hand over his mouth, which they did as well, and their voices became muffled.

I couldn't help but laugh.

We went into class and stood before a rather large group of students. Iruka had since then tied up the group of delinquents with rope.

"Heh, that looks familiar." I said, referring the numerous times I found myself tied up by Iruka and placed in front of the class. Choji and Shikamaru both laughed.

"All right class, today we have three Jonin of Konoha here to help us with our field activities today. Their names are Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Naruto Uzumaki. Now, first we'll be working on throwing weapons with moving targets." Iruka spoke, then gave us an apologetic look as our faces paled. The class was even scarier though being that every one of them had a grin on their face.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

"That's the last time I ever do work for the Academy." Shikamaru grumbled as he sat on a patient's bed in the minor injuries unit of the hospital.

"Shikamaru, please sit still. You're only making this harder to do." Shizune ordered as she wrapped a bandage around his arm.

"How troublesome…" he sighed.

"Shizune-san, when is Sakura done with work?" I asked with pleading eyes.

Shizune smirked, "Hmmm…well…I _suppose_ she could end her shift early…she _does_ have a mission tomorrow." She laughed as I groaned.

"Shizune-san…" I pleaded.

"Fine, I'll let her go early today. Just let me finish, and then I'll go get her for you." Shizune finished. Three minutes later she was done with Shikamaru and headed down to the rooms with patients who needed more attention. Sakura was usually down there.

Six minutes passed when Sakura came into the lobby followed by Shizune.

"Sakura-chan!" I smiled as I picked her up by the waist and spun her in the air.

"Naruto, stop it! Not front of everyone!" Sakura said with a deep blush on her face.

Choji got up from his chair, "Well, I suppose I should go and see how Ino is. I'm guessing she's pretty tired after all those classes on seduction with the kunoichi." He laughed, "I'll see you guys later."

We all waved goodbye as he headed out the door. I then turned to Shikamaru, "Hey, you going to be all right?"

"Heh, don't worry…Temari's done much worse than this to me." He smiled.

Shizune sighed, "Okay you lovebirds, off you go now. I need to check on my patients now."

We left the hospital and Shikamaru turned to Sakura and I, "Hey, Temari wanted me to tell you that there's a party at my place tonight. Pretty much everyone's coming."

"What's the occasion?" Sakura asked.

"A farewell party to them, they're leaving tomorrow I guess." Shikamaru added.

"Aw, already? We didn't even get to go shopping." Sakura whined.

"Don't worry, they're leaving with you and Kakashi tomorrow. The escort on your mission has relations with Sunagakure, so Gaara needs to verify a few things with the person. You know, Kazekage business." Shikamaru replied.

"So, what time's the party?" I asked.

"Um…eight or something…it's too troublesome to remember little details like that…just be there before nine I guess." Shikamaru replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay, we'll be there at eight then." I nodded, and we said goodbye to the Jonin as he headed home.

Sakura and I walked over to an all-to-familiar bridge, and I leaned against the railing.

"This is where we had our first date…" Sakura reminisced.

"I remember…it was early September I think…" I said with a nod.

**Flashback**

"Naruto, will you take off that goofy bow-tie already? Geesh, you don't have to try and impress me with looks, you know that." Sakura said rolling her eyes.

"S-sorry Sakura-chan." I grinned, throwing an orange bow-tie into the river.

"I do admit though, you _do_ look good in that black outfit." She added, scanning over me with a pleasant smile. She herself was dressed nicely, wearing a formal kimono with red cherry blossoms decorating the green cloth.

We watched the stars shine in the sky, and a thought crossed my mind, "Sakura, can I ask you something? Be honest about it."

"What is it, Naruto?" she said, turning to me.

"Do you think I would make a good Hokage?"

"I have no doubt in my mind that you _will_ make a good Hokage. It will be a while though, I mean, Tsunade-sama isn't going to just hand over her title to you. The day that you can truly stand against in a match and win will be the day that she truly recognizes your strength…but she does believe in your dream," Sakura said pointing to the necklace the Fifth Hokage had given me, "I believe in your dream too, and I know you'll reach it someday."

"That will be a great day when I can finally wear that hat." I smiled.

"Yep, and you'll have all the responsibilities that Tsunade-sama has, including a weekly to bi-weekly meeting with the kunoichi of Konoha."

"I'm sorry?" I said, turning to her, trying to catch what she just said.

"Well, the village's kunoichi meet about once a week to discuss issues or concerns they have. Since you will be the Hokage, you'll have to hear these concerns at one point of time or another." Sakura explained.

"………"

"Don't worry, just be attentive and try to be understanding. Most of the kunoichi will give you the support of being Hokage anyway. You may not know it, but many of them are betting on you taking the position within the next twenty years at most." Sakura smiled.

"All the Rookie Nine kunoichi and Tenten are part of that committee, aren't they?" I asked.

"Yep, can you name anyone else?" Sakura asked. Great, she was testing me.

"Well, there's Kurenai, Shizune, Tsunade, Anko, Kiba's sister Hana, um…" I couldn't name any others at the moment.

"That's good enough Naruto. I think you're off to a good start with being a Hokage. Now, let me tell you about some of the concerns with us kunoichi right now…"

**End of Flashback**

"Heh, I learned that kunoichi are concerned about not getting discounts at clothing stores in the village." I commented.

"Well, you made me very happy that night. _I _learned that you are truly concerned about the interests of the kunoichi in our village, as well as all of the rest of the shinobi and ninja." Sakura added.

"Well, I have the experience of knowing that it's dangerous to get on the bad side of a woman with throwing a kunai holster."

Whack!

"Ow…"

We let time roll by, just sitting next to each other until the sky had darkened.

"Hey, let's get going, Naruto. I want to get ready for the party." Sakura said, poking my side. That was her way of saying 'I want you to carry me on your back because I'm too tired'.

"Sakura, do I have to carry you?"

She simply laughed, and pecked me on the cheek. She had a knack for being persuasive I guess.

Sakura spent a good half hour fixing her hair up and the like. I then attempted to comb my hair, and threw my comb across the bathroom after five minutes with no results. Sakura said my hair was best the way it was anyway.

Sakura gave me a praiseful nod as she looked over me. She had decided to dress up and wear a formal kimono, the same one we wore on our date. I decided to wear more formal ninja attire. She laughed, "I have to admit, I might have to fend off the other girls with a stick to keep you in one piece."

"Heh, I don't think there's a need. They already know I'm taken. I'm practically screaming 'property of Sakura Haruno' with how much you cling to me." I smirked.

"Is there a problem with that?" she asked in a slightly dangerous Inner-Sakura tone.

"N-no! Not at all!" I laughed, quickly hiding my fear of being pummeled.

"Good, because you are my property," she said, brightening up, "Got it?"

"Yes ma'am."

Sakura gave me a mischievous grin, "In turn, I belong to you…got it?"

"Sounds good to me." I said, wrapping my arms around her waist and giving her a hug.

We headed out of my apartment and over to the Nara residence. It sounded like we were early, seeing as we couldn't hear the loud yelling of Kiba or Rock Lee. I knocked, and Shikamaru opened the door.

"You're here already? Hm, well, come in." he said, opening the door completely so we could get inside.

I looked into the living room to see Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara all sitting on the floor, with a chess board in front of Gaara.

"Gaara, why are you bothering with it? Shikamaru has never lost a single game." I heard Kankuro ask, reaching for a handful of chips.

"Exactly, and I must be the first to beat him. I have his strategy down to a science; take out his knights, then he's done for." Gaara replied, his chin resting pensively on his hand. He didn't lift his eyes off of the board, but spoke, "Hello Naruto and Sakura. Good to see you made it."

"Gaara, you're queen's open for an assault from Shika's bishop." I said as I looked at the Kazekage's situation. The young Kazekage looked at his queen, then at Shikamaru's bishop, then muttered something that sounded like 'that genius did it again?'

"Well," he said, looking at his pieces, "if I moved my queen…"

"…then your king's done for…" I finished.

"That Nara had planned this out the whole time, didn't he?" Gaara asked to no one in particular.

"That's the thing with him; he's always ten steps ahead of everyone." I heard Temari say as Shikamaru walked in.

Gaara frowned, "You're not helping me, Temari."

She merely laughed, then said, "Well, I probably wouldn't do much better anyways."

"That's true…" Kankuro muttered. Gaara grinned a bit at the comment.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean??" the Suna kunoichi asked, unconsciously putting a hand on her fan strapped to her back.

Before the puppet user could further dig his own grave, a knock came from the door, followed by a "Hey, open up, Shika-kun!"

Shikamaru groaned, "Ino and Choji…and Ino's already getting impatient…how troublesome." The shadow using Jonin headed for the door which threatened to break off its hinges. A loud barking could be heard from outside.

"Akumaru isn't going to fit in here!" Sakura said.

Luckily, Akumaru was fine with staying outside, seeing as he was unable to fit through the door frame. Kiba was a little saddened, but managed to brush it off.

Half an hour later, all of the members of the former Rookie Nine and Team Gai were at the party. We were all just laughing and such, nothing in particular. The girls were off in their own corner while me and the guys sat around the couch, groaning over the squeals from the opposite end of the room. Squeals meant bad for us.

"Hey, Naruto, come over here for a minute!" I heard Ino call to me.

The other guys immediately looked at me with expressions saying 'good luck' and don't say anything stupid about me'. I got up, took in a deep breath, and headed over to the kunoichi.

"Hiya, Ino, what can I help you girls with?" I said, putting on grin. I gave a quick glance to Sakura, who was smiling slightly, and had a huge blush on her face…uh oh…that meant something involving me.

"So, Naruto…you lost it to Forehead here, eh?" Ino asked, which received a giggle from the group, even from Hinata.

Quick, act dumb, "Lost what?" I asked, hoping that maybe Ino was talking about something else. Yeah, right, and maybe Hiashi Hyuuga was going to bust through the front door and tap dance for us.

She grinned, "Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"I…uh…"

"Your V-I-R-G-"

"Okay, okay! Yes, I did." I said, trying to speak over the second loudest shinobi in Konoha. Luckily, I still held the title for loudest.

All the kunoichi laughed, and I felt embarrassed for Sakura, maybe a little uncomfortable as well.

Apparently Ino noticed this, "Aw, don't be embarrassed Naruto. From what Sakura says, she has no complaints."

"Really? I mean…what's it matter to you??" I stammered.

"Oh relax, will you?" Ino said as she shook her head, "I'm just teasing you. The point is," she got up and looked to see that Sakura had decided to talk to Temari at that moment, "don't go and hurt her feelings now. She's my best friend, and if you do anything dumb, you'll be speaking to me about it." She softened up after giving me a dead serious look, "However, I want you to know that I _do_ trust you Naruto…and when you two get married, I want to be in charge of making the bouquet arrangements."

"Ino, please, we'll worry about that when it comes around. Don't worry though, I'll stay by Sakura's side no matter what." I said quietly so no one else heard. Ino smiled knowingly. I guess knowing Sakura meant becoming good friends with the kunoichi as well…yep, love is weird that way.

Time went by at a slow, comfortable pace. I sat with Sakura while we all swapped stories of our various missions. Strangely though, Shikamaru and Gaara had managed to disappear.

"Hey, Sakura, I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to find Shikamaru and Gaara."

I didn't have to go far though, since just down the hall came the familiar voices of my two friends.

Gaara's could be heard first, "Well, I don't know_ why_ you're asking for my permission. I mean, she _is_ older than me."

Shikamaru's reply came, "You and Kankuro are her only living family members left. Kankuro already said he thinks that I should, so I figured I'd ask you next, since you are her brother, and her village's leader.

Gaara grunted in acknowledgement, "Well, if that's all you have to say, then you have my blessing as well. Make Temari happy…she deserves it."

I grinned; I couldn't believe it. Shikamaru was going to propose to Temari. I guess that was bound to happen sooner or later. They acted like they were married as it is.

I heard their footsteps, so I decided to make myself look like I was looking for them, "Oh, there you two are. I was wondering where-"

"Naruto, since you overheard everything, can you go help me get Temari?" Gaara asked, walking down the hall to indicate his request.

"Heh heh, sure." I laughed. This would be an interesting night after all.

**End of chap.8- Well, there you go ShikaxTemari fans…an indication of things to come. Yeah, I plan on maybe one more filler chapter before the mission, but hey, who knows? Please R&R, or I'll make Lee sing 'Staying Alive'…yes, this is an empty threat…but…it's the thought that counts.**


	10. Shikamaru's Triumph

**Disclaimer: …you know, I'm running out of funny ideas to put down for disclaimers…hmm…I don't own Naruto, but I do own a really cool 70 page college ruled notebook where I write my stories down in…don't you dare laugh at me!**

**Chapter 9: Shikamaru's Triumph**

(Shikamaru's P.O.V)

I was…nervous…it bothered me when I felt this way in general, but when Temari was involved, it only made things that much more troublesome. That's why I love her I guess, she makes my life interesting, a bit more challenging, and at times, better than it really is.

I still remember when Asuma died…though I try to forget. It was Temari who stayed by my side when she found out about my sensei's death. She stayed with me that night while I cried…and she never told anyone about my outburst of tears. She could have used that as blackmail on me later, but she never did.

I waited, quietly looking at the clock. Ten to eleven…time was too slow at when it came to these kinds of situations. I patted a small box in my pocket, making sure it was there. The clock seemed to be slowing down…or maybe someone outside my house was pulling genjutsu on me…no, it was only me.

Before I could think any further on the possessed clock, I heard the patting of sandals coming down the hall…Temari. Great, and now I'm starting to sweat.

"How troublesome." I grumbled to myself as Temari opened the door.

"Hey, Shika. Naruto said that you needed to talk to me about something." The fan-using kunoichi asked me as she smiled cheerfully. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah…I-I do…um…" I couldn't think of anything to say at the moment.

"What?" Temari asked, putting a hand on her hip in an impatient manner. I don't what it was about her, but seeing her do that made me even more flustered. Everything about her screamed 'I'm a woman damn it, you better respect me!!' She was perfect…there I go again with one of my rants…focus Shikamaru, focus!

"Temari, do you remember back when we very first meet each other?"

"I try not to, but yeah. What about it?" she joked.

"Well, when I forfeited the match during the chunin exams…it wasn't just because I was low on chakra." I replied.

Temari raised an eyebrow, and then smirked at me, "Oh really, what else is there? Were you too scared?"

"Well I'd be lying if I denied that you freaked me out…but there's another reason."

"What reason would that be?" she asked.

I sighed, "I'm lazy Temari, too a fault pretty much. Until recently, I truly didn't give a single bit about being a shinobi…or anything for that matter. I was considered a genius, but had no motivation to anything to prove it…then Asuma died…that's when everything changed. When I saw what I really am."

Temari's expression softened, "Shika-kun, it's not your fault, you _know_ that. Asuma and you gave it everything you had…but Hidan was just too…strong."

"Exactly…I've always relied on the others for strength, I just did the planning. I feel that someday I'll be needed, but what good will I be if I can't fight?" I asked, taking a seat on the floor. Temari followed suit, and put her head on my shoulder.

"You don't have to be strong as Hidan to be a good ninja." She said, cupping her hands around mine.

"Well, I'm glad you believe in me." I said.

"Every one of your friends believes in you, Shikamaru, not just me." Temari said, as though she was correcting me. She then gave me a hug, and remained wrapped around me.

Now was my chance…I hoped…

"Temari, you care about me, right?"

"Of course I do, idiot." She laughed.

"Then you know that I really care about you too, right?"

She sighed, "Shika, what are you trying to get at?"

"Sorry, I guess this isn't going according to what I planned." I laughed, reaching into my pocket.

"What do you mean 'planned'? Shikamaru, if this is-" she stopped as I went on one knee. Her eyes were now shining with excitement, and I think I saw the shadows of tears in her eyes…she had such beautiful…gah, focus!!

What if this goes wrong? Well, too late to stop now, "Temari…will you marry me?"

Silence.

I struggled to keep my smile on my face…she was still quiet. I mean, yes, this was sudden…but I felt strongly for her, and I think she feels the same for me. We've already become closer than friends. We crossed that line about a year ago when we took a vacation together to the Land of the Waves. The place had become quite a vacation spot. We had come to understand each just how much we cared for each other on one particular night…that was something that I never regretted doing either.

"…Temari?" I called to her, a little more nervous than I cared to show.

Her eyes were now watering up, and she slowly let herself look at me, "Am I awake? You're not just teasing me, are you? This isn't a dream?"

"Yes, you are awake. No, I'm not teasing you, I'm as serious as I could possibly be, and no, this isn't a dream." I replied, still smiling.

"Good," she replied, "I was wondering if this day would ever come." She let her tears fall.

"So…that means?"

"Yes, you idiot. I will marry you, and I wouldn't want you with anyone else." She replied, quietly crying with a small smile on her face. I slipped on the ring as she continued, "I will admit though, you caught me off guard big time."

"That's what I had hoped for." I laughed, admiring how she looked with that wallet emptying golden band with a diamond on it. I had spent the money from my last four A-class missions so I could get the perfect size for her.

"Really? You hoped for it? You seemed to be pretty unsure of yourself just a minute ago. Were you scared?" she teased, holding me tightly.

"To be honest, yes. I didn't know what to say, didn't know what would happen, you know. I asked my dad for advice; he simply laughed and said that his dad wasn't that helpful when he asked him for advice when he proposed to my mom, so why would he be any easier." I admitted.

"Well, aren't you glad you asked me?" she smiled.

"Definitely." I said, as though it was the most honest statement I ever made…in fact, it was.

Then another thought crossed my mind…where would we live?

"Temari, should we move to Sunagakure, or do you want to live with me and my family here in Konoha? It's up to you."

She didn't hesitate, "Here. I think I've fallen in love with this village, and being that our villages are allies makes things like marriage that much better. I think it would be great to be a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

I smiled, "Good, then that's out of the way…you sure you can deal with me for the rest of your life?"

"Someone needs to keep you in line, it might as well be myself." She smirked.

We both laughed lightly, and then I spoke, "Let's go tell the others; I'm sure that Ino will start making bouquet arrangements for us in advance, and she'll give us discount if I'm correct."

"A discount?" Temari repeated.

"Probably…hmmm…sixty percent at the least…she's a sucker for weddings…and even more so when she knows the people…and even more so than that when she's good friends with the people."

We both walked into the living room and waited for everyone to stop and notice us. Little to my surprise, Ino spoke first, "What are you two smiling about?"

Temari simply showed the ring on her left hand. Almost at once, Tenten, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata let out girlish squeals.

"Omygosh! Omygosh!! He didn't, he didn't!!!" Ino sputtered with a typical girlish smile and flailing of her hands.

"Temari, we're going shopping as soon we finish this mission! We need to get you the best wedding dress possible…wait, what about our dresses? Ack, so much to shop for, so much to shop for!" Sakura added, panicking slightly.

"And I thought you were going to force it out of him to marry you!" Tenten smiled, jumping up and down with the others.

"Congratulations Temari-san!!!" Hinata said, joining the feminine frenzy.

I was lucky enough not to be engulfed into the chaos. Choji and Naruto simply laughed, while Kiba added, "Well, he finally motivated himself to do something."

Shino nodded, which I accepted as a 'Congratulations' while Rock Lee started spouting out a passionate speech of how love grows from the time of the springtime of youth. Neji smiled, and simply shook his head. I knew for a fact that Tenten had been badgering the Byakugen user for a good six months on the issue of matrimony now, and he said they should worry about it when they're ready.

What made me relieved was the scene from Temari's brothers. Kankuro smiled to me with a rare grin while Gaara gave me the slightest shadow of a smile. They were happy with us being together, which made things easier. However, what made Temari happy in the end was mattered in their opinion.

We celebrated the engagement for another two hours, and then everyone left. Soon it was just Temari, her brothers, and me.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you again soon." I said to Temari.

Temari gave me a look that she reserved only for me, "Actually, why don't I stay here for the night?" she suggested, turning to Gaara and Kankuro, "I'll meet with you guys in the morning at the gates, okay?"

Kankuro raised an eyebrow, "Just stay safe if you two tango tonight." Gaara coughed in order to suppress a laugh.

I said goodbye to the now retreating brothers of the Sand as Temari ran them off with her fan in tow. She eventually came back to the steps of my house with a healthy blush, muttering, 'let's see him laugh when I use those puppets for firewood'.

"You know, you're cute when you're angry." I said. We shared a kiss, and then Temari smiled. We walked inside and into my room. She pushed me onto the bed, and then left for the bathroom.

"Give me five minutes." She said in a rather seductive tone as she walked out of the room.

"It's a good thing Mom and Dad decided to have that vacation this week…and it also helps that I don't have training in the morning." I smiled to myself.

**End of chap.9- Gasp! They didn't!!! Yeah, they did…but I won't type such things down. Well, there you go, a chapter dedicated to one of the most interesting pairings in the Naruto universe in my opinion: Temari and Shikamaru. What did you think? Well, the next chapter begins the mission, and things will become more involved with Sakura and Naruto again. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please R&R!**


	11. Onward

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, then the Kyuubi wouldn't have had as long of ears…he looks like a rabbit almost…anyways, I don't own Naruto, so I guess I have no say in the matter.**

**Chapter 10: Onward **

(Sakura's P.O.V)

I woke up to a gentle nudging, "Unnnh…Naruto, five more minutes…" I groaned.

I heard Naruto chuckle, "I'll give you ten okay? Anymore than that and I'll be forced to carry you downstairs and into the kitchen."

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing." I joked.

"Breakfast will be ready in a little bit," Naruto called as he headed down the steps, "Don't worry, it won't be ramen like last time."

"Good, then I'll have scrambled eggs." I replied.

"You got it, Sakura-chan."

I eventually with much effort made it downstairs and into the kitchen. Naruto and I were hungry, so we ate more than we talked. Not to mention this would be the last decent breakfast we would have for quite a few days.

"Naruto, when we get back from the mission, do you want to help me bring my stuff from my house over here?" I asked when we finished eating.

Naruto's face lit up, "You mean, you want to move in with me completely now?" I nodded in reply, "Sakura-chan, that's great!! Yeah, I'd love to help you!"

I laughed at his childish behavior, "Good. Now, we should probably shower up and get everything ready. We only have an hour before we have to meet everyone at the gates."

After we were all set we headed out to the street and towards the giant gates of Konoha. Gaara was there by himself, and had his eyes closed.

"Well, looks like you're both on time," Gaara commented, opening his eyes, "It seems that my brother decided to sleep in though, and Temari is still not here either." He sighed, "…and they say I sleep too much…"

Kankuro arrived three minutes later, apologizing and scratching head with a lopsided grin. Temari arrived shortly after, still yawning, and rubbing her eyes.

Kankuro took a look around, "So, where's Kakashi?"

Naruto took a look at his watch, "He set his alarm clock early so he'd be here on time…he should be here in seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…"

A loud poof could be heard a few feet away, "Sorry, I hope I'm not too-"

"You're late!!!" Naruto and I shouted with our trademark accusation pointing-stance.

Kakashi took a look at his watch, then shrugged.

So we were off to the little village near the borders of the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. Actually, it was officially inside the borders of Wind, but it was sort of a trading post between the two countries. According to Gaara, the town developed not to long ago as a result of the amazingly friendly relationships between the two ninja villages of Suna and Konoha.

Another interesting thing I found out was that our client was actually a shinobi from Konoha. This made things a bit more interesting, seeing as the client never gave us a name or alias.

The day went by at a steady pace, and before long, the sun was hanging over the horizon. We had about another day's worth of travel or so, but we had made fairly good time according to Kakashi.

"We should camp here for the night; it's getting pretty dark out." Naruto suggested as the stars began to show in the orange and pink horizon. We set up our campsite, and all went about getting things ready for dinner. Kankuro and Naruto went to gather firewood, Temari and I got out the supplies for cooking, and Gaara and Kakashi brought back water from a nearby creek.

The meal was fairly quiet, and we only talked in hushed tones while eating our rice with fish and vegetables. It wasn't the greatest meal, but it would suffice.

When we finished eating, Kakashi decided to strike up a conversation, "So…Gaara, you know anything about this client we'll be meeting in Palm Dunes? Tsunade seemed pretty keen on not telling me anything aside from their relation to Konoha." Kakashi asked the Kazekage.

Gaara nodded, "Well, that's about the same with me. I know very little aside from them working as a scout for our countries."

"What do you mean by 'scout', Gaara?" I asked him.

"They've been investigating and reporting on the whereabouts and happenings of Akatsuki." Replied Gaara.

I suddenly cringed. I hated that word…it meant 'death' to me. Yes, I did kill one of their members, but I did receive help of Chiyo in doing so, who also died as a result in saving Gaara when he had the Shukaku extracted from him. What bothered me the most was that, though they were a threat to all of us, they were mainly concerned about Naruto, who held the last contained demon, the Kyuubi.

The only relief I guess I had was that the members were capable of being beaten. Even the immortal Hidan was able to be stopped by Shikamaru… the only thing was that he was never killed. Hidan was merely blown in fragments to small aside from his head from an explosion caused by tags that not only decimated the Akatsuki member, but also entombed him in a cave within the forested property of the Nara clan. Basically, Hidan would spend the rest of eternity in darkness without ever being found.

I turned to Naruto, who had a distant look on his face…he was probably thinking of Itachi and Kisame, the two members of Akatsuki who were in charge of retrieving Naruto…alive. It was a little known fact, but Naruto had sworn on Sasuke's grave that should he ever meet the last Uchiha, he would do everything in his power to kill him, without a single thought of holding back. Same went for the other members, but Itachi especially.

That's one reason why Naruto continued to train, to become strong enough to defend the village and everything and everyone that was important to him. He even managed to perfect the Rasengan by adding his own wind elemental chakra to the attack. I witnessed him do it training…it was devastating.

I turned back to the conversation, which seemed to be still on the topic of our client, "Well, regardless of what they are, they have valuable information, and we better insure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands." I heard Temari say.

I slept uneasily that night. I kept rolling over to make sure Naruto was still there. He doesn't really like it when I worry like this about him, but I can't really help it. After settling some troubled thought, I managed to fall to sleep.

(Gaara's P.O.V)

I walked over to Naruto, and shook him lightly, waking him.

"Huh? Oh, what's the matter Gaara?" he said, blinking.

"You're next on watch duty." I informed him.

"Oh…right…thanks." He said with a yawn and stretching a bit. Naruto got up and walked over to the dying fire, poking it with a stick to keep the coals going while I set up my sleeping bag on the ground. I had about five hours until dawn, so I needed all the sleep I could get.

"Hey, Gaara?" I heard the blonde whisper.

"Yeah?"

"What did it feel like?" he replied by asking another question.

I gave him a puzzled look, "What did _what _feel like?"

Naruto turned away from me and looked at the fire again, "What did it feel like when…they took the Shakaku out of you…"

"Oh…that." I replied, suddenly seeing this conversation take a turn for the worse.

"Yeah, I mean, we both know what it's like to house a demon inside of us…but you're the only one who can live to tell about what it's like to have a demon extracted from you." Naruto explained, "Just…be honest…"

I rolled over in my sleeping bag, and turned to the night sky, "I hurt…well, that's a vague way of putting it…it was the worst pain I ever felt before. It felt like my insides were being ripped apart by a burning kunai. I could feel myself being…picked apart."

Naruto remained quiet, and I felt his mood drop even more, "Oh…th-that's not what I had hoped on hearing." He sighed, "Gaara….can you promise me something?"

"What would that be?" I asked. Naruto was, to be honest, my best friend. I would never want to let him down, but I had a feeling that I didn't want to give him my word on the request he was about to ask of me.

Naruto spoke, "If we run into Akatsuki…mainly Itachi and Kisame…promise me that if things get bad, well, mainly if I am defeated, that you'll get the others out of the battle." His voice never went over a whisper as he spoke, and from the orange light I could tell he was really bothered by his dilemma with the organization of S-class missing nin.

I gave him a serious look when he turned to look at me, "Naruto, you won't be fighting them alone if that's what you're getting at. We'll-"

"Damn it Gaara, promise me you will!" he said, threatening to shout. However, he managed to keep his voice low enough to not awaken anyone.

I sighed. He was serious about this, "Fine…you have my word…but I'm telling you right now that you will _not_ be alone on this mission, got it?"

The blonde nodded, then he returned to his watch over the fire, "I'm learning how to use five tails."

I raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that a bit dangerous…I mean, it's bad enough with four…but five?"

"Kyuubi and I have managed to overcome the whole deterioration process when I use his chakra…but I can only stay in the form four about ten minutes as of right now," Naruto whispered, "It's really hard access so much power in my body, but I'm able to."

"What happens after ten minutes?"

"Well, I either pass out…or Kyuubi and I lose our sanity until we pass out…either way, I wouldn't be good to go over my time limit." He replied.

"I see…" I closed my eyes, "Listen Naruto, sometimes we shinobi have to be reminded that we are only mortals."

"What are you getting at?" Naruto asked me in a defensive tone.

"What I mean is that we can only bleed so much before we die when fighting alone…but when you you're fighting alongside other shinobi, the bloodshed lessens for you. That's why we have teams all the way from Genin to the elite ANBU…fighting with others means you have someone to share or treat your pain, or protect you when you need it." I clarified.

Naruto grunted in acknowledgement, "I guess you have a point there…but it's just…well, I couldn't stand to lose one of my friends in a fight, but I would especially hate to lose…"

"…Sakura…" I finished for him.

Naruto let out another stressful sigh, "Bingo. If she would ever…I don't know what I'd…"

"Naruto," I interrupted, "We're shinobi…we do what we must for our village…that is our way of life. I understand your concern entirely though," I said, turning to my sleeping brother and sister, "We need to live life while we can."

"Right." Naruto said, shaking his head with a smile, "Heh, it must be stressful being the Kazekage and all. I mean, worrying about the village all the time."

"Well, yes, it is stressful," I admitted, "That doesn't mean I don't enjoy my job though. I can protect my people, and put my power to good use. It's by far better than how it used to be all those years ago."

"I agree. Not many people threaten me anymore…a lot of people actually smile at me now…though some of them are forced smiles." Naruto added.

I rolled over again so I was facing away from the fire, feeling quite tired now, "Well Naruto, just remember what I said; you're not alone when you're with a team."

"Yep, I'll remember, believe it."

"Good. I'll see you in the morning then," I finished.

I drifted off to sleep, hoping that tomorrow would be just as easy of a journey as today was.

**End of chap. 10- Yeah, I finally hit ten chapters! The scary thing is I have no real clue how many chapters it will take. I have the general idea in my mind and on paper. However, I seem to already be thinking about the sequel to this one…if I make a third one. Woe is me. Thanks for reading, and please tell me what you think of this story overall so far.**


	12. Precious People

**Disclaimer: (Explosion) Back with Avengance no Justu! Hey everyone, I'm back from the brink!!! Er...yeah, anyway, glad to be back. I finally am at college ****(yes, I AM a college student ****writing Naruto fics, deal with it...also, I'm a guy, just in case anyone didn't know. Heh, sorry, I just don't want anyone to think that ****I'm a girl and put it in a ****review by mistake...anyways...I still ****don't own Naruto, but, I do own a wonderful laptop to do my works on! Now then on with Here and ****Now, Chap. 11: Precious ****People!!! (people scream with tears ****of joy)**

**Chap. 11: Precious People**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

As soon as the soft snoring of Gaara could be heard, I got up and walked out to the darkness of the surrounding grassland where we decided to camp. I thought I was alone,but as any wise shinobi should now, there's always the possibility of being followed.

"Shouldn't you be on watch?"

I laughed a little, "Hey, Kakashi-sensei."

The silver-haired Jonin nodded to me, and I could tell that he knew something was bothering me, "Want some company?"

"Sure," I said with a shrug. We sat for awhile, simply admiring the stars above us. After a good couple of minutes of silence, I spoke, "Kakashi-sensei...what do think of me and Sakura as a couple?" I asked him.

"Hmmm..." the Jonin placed a hand under his chin in mild thought, "Well, in all honesty, I was expecting it to happen sooner or later."

I gave him an amused, somewhat skeptic look, "Heh, really?"

Kakashi again nodded, "Of course. I mean, sure _you_ loved her since your academy days, but she was too busy ogling Sasuke to notice this. Eventually Sasuke leaves and betrays us, then you promise to Sakura to bring him back, only to come back beaten, and Sasuke gone to Orochimaru."

I was lost, "I don't see where you're going with this..."

Kakashi put up a hand to cut me off, "Just let me finish...you leave to go and train with Jiraiya for about three years; that's where things got interesting. Sakura and I would have an occasional reunion somewhere like Ichiraku's. She would say how she hopes that you aren't becoming a pervert or in alot of danger...I knew when this started happening thatshe was starting to have feelings towards you."

I felt my face stretch into a smile, "She...she was actually worried about me during those years I was away?"

Kakashi could only chuckle, "Well _of course_ she was. You're her teammate, but I sensed something deeper than just concern. She seemed to brighten up when you were mentioned," he paused to shake his head at me, "It was here attitude after your return that caught my attention. She seemed excited when she heard of your return, and she was a little more than cheerful the day you were back. You may not realize this Naruto, but you are a major part of her strength. Your return was a major booster in her self-esteem...though I recall she was miffed when she first reunited with you...she didn't tell me why though..."

I could only laugh at that comment. _'YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED AT ALL, HAVE YOU??' _I smiled at the fond memory of being punched and sent fifty feet through the air and into the dirt road.

Yeah, that had been a wonderful day...

"She fights for you Naruto...the same way you fight for her. She wants to be stronger to help defend Konoha, herself, and especially you. That's a big claim for you to make, considering that Tsunadehas personally trained her for quite a few years now." Kakashi replied, turning back up to the night sky.

Now that we were on the topic, I wanted to hear more from Kakashi, "Um...Kakashi-sensei...did you ever have a...precious person...?"

Kakashi looked at me, almost a little taken back as though it was a ridiculous question, "I had and _still_ have you and Sakura. Surely that counts..." I could tell though that he knew what I meant.

"I mean someone that was important to you in the way Sakura is important to me." I said with a shaking head.

Kakashi's shoulders slumped a bit, "Well, if you put it that way...yes, I suppose...she was a part of my Genin team..." he paused to turn to me, "...at one time I wasn't at all concerned about teams aside from completing missions...that was my belief, at least until one of my teammates died saving my life. All I have to remember him by is this," he pointed to where his Sharingan eye lay, covered by his headband, "and by the Hero's Monument...his name was Obito. My other teammate, who was a medic-nin, implanted his left Sharingan into my damaged eye socket. I had lost my eye in a battle with some Rock-nin earlier in the mission. He changed my view on life that day, but he died as a result."

I hesitated to ask him, but figured it would probably help him, "What was your other teammate's name?"

Kakashi smiled a bit, "Rin. My team was made up of Obito Uchiha, your father and my instructor, Minato Namikaze, and Rin...but we kind of drifted apart shortly after that day..."

"What happened to Rin...did she-?"

"I could only hope that she had either left village, or just quit being a ninja...it's alot better than her being dead..." he finished for me, answering my question.

"What was she like?"

Kakashi sighed, but I could see a smile behind his mask, "She had hair that was sort of a dark brown and orange...and she had a face that you could tell was made for smiling. She had bandages on both her cheeks, and...heh, you know, Sakura kind of reminds me of her in a way."

"How is that?" I asked, smirking in curiosity. If she was at all like Sakura, then Kakashi probably was scared of her at times.

"Oh...she was fiery little kunoichi like Sakura was when the occasion called for it. Most of the time though she was quiet. I'd say though that Rin was more of medic than fighter compared to Sakura when she was twelve. She sure hit like Sakura though...Obito could support that claim."

"So...you liked her I take it?"

"I guess so...but it wasn't until after Obito died that I realized how much she meant...the fact of the matter is, Naruto, she probably felt the same for me, but we were too devastated by Obito and were too busy with the war...I went to become an ANBU, your father became the Yondaime Hokage, but I never found out where Rin went. I would have asked Minato-sensei...but he died before I ever did get a chance..." Kakashi replied, getting up from his seat.

"Oh...well...I'm sorry about that."

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled as he smiled, "It's okay, you didn't know, and it doesn't hurt me to tell you these things," I knew that part was a lie, "Naruto, let me give you some advice that I hope you'll take to heart. While it _is_ important to become a fine Jonin, especially since you plan on becoming Hokage someday, you should also make time for your personal life. In your case, Sakura. A woman like her only comes around once in a lifetime. If you let her go or leave her, you'll regret it." the Jonin said with a somewhat depressed look forming on his face.

He turned to head back to camp when I called to him, "Kakashi-sensei, one more question..."

Kakashi stopped and turned to me, "Yes, Naruto?"

"Do...do you think that if Rin were still in Konoha that things would have been much different for us?"

Kakashi sighed for the upteenth time that night, "I don't know," he shrugged, "Maybe, Naruto...maybe..."

I sat there and watched as Kakashi slowly walked back to camp. He was in his thirties by now, which is saying alot for a ninja with his reputation and his number of his number of enemies. I guess his life of being alone was getting to him...though I hoped against all odds that it wasn't.

"I hope I didn't upset him too much." I whispered to myself as I got up and streched, yawning a bit. Twenty minutes later I was sitting back at the camp, poking the fire with a stick to let the embers keep burning. I ended up passing time counting how many shooting stars I could see in a night. My current record was fifteen, but it was bound to break someday.

However, on about eight stars, I was interrupted by a certain bijuu's voice, **"Hey, Kit, do you plan on asking for a Genin team anytime soon?"**

I had to keep myself from speaking aloud, "What do you mean?"

Kyuubi grinned, **"You're a Jonin, and I believe you can request to train a team of Genin now...**_**if**_** the Hokage sees you fit for the position."**

I thought for a moment, "Maybe...Dad became a Jonin instructor before he was the Hokage..."

I could feel Kyuubi sigh, **"Don't go and think you have to go and suddenly follow your father's footsteps because he was the great Yellow Flash...I'm sure ****regardless of what you do, you'll do well."**

"Right...actually I was thinking of becoming an ANBU first, serve for some time, then go on to be the Hokage..."

Kyuubi growled in agreement,** "Well, that's not a bad idea. You'll have some choice in your team I believe."**

I nodded to myself, "Yeah. I think that Tenten and Ino are considering it too. Neji's already a part-time ANBU member, and Shino's currently working up to ANBU captain rank if I'm correct." I added.

**"Don't go and get carried away now. You're not even a week into your rank as a Jonin." **Kyuubi chided, sounding more and more like a parent with every passing moment.

I rolled my eyes, "Tch, Baa-chan knows I'm more than qualified. I could easily get into her office with out those ANBU knowing back in my Genin days, so I don't see why it's not possible."

My conversation was abruptly ended when I heard Sakura's voice.

"Naruto...no...Akat...suki...no, not Naru..."

I walked over to her, and pushed back some loose bangs of hers, looking at her troubled face, "Dreaming again...it's okay, Sakura-chan. I'm here...it's okay..." I said, continuing to brush my hand across her face. She seemed to calm down, and soon was sleeping soundly again. I smiled as I sat by her sleeping form. She still retained a bit of her twelve year-old self inside of her, seeing as how she worried like she did all the time.

Hours later the sun rose from the east, and I heard the rustling of sleeping bags. I turned to see the squinting, yet smiling face of Temari.

"Morning, Temari. Sleep well?" I asked her cheerfully. She nodded while stretching a bit, giving me a clear view of her pink and white nightgown. I held back a laugh. Temari, the fearsome kunoichi of Sunagakure, still wore her favorite pink pajamas. If I mentioned this though, I'd be in for a world of hurt, and I could only wonder what would happen to Gaara, being that he was the one who told me this wonderful bit of information.

"Yeah, I slept well, considering how bad Kankuro's snoring is." she said with a frown.

"I heard that..." came the muffled voice of the still motionless form of Kankuro, whose hair poked out of his sleeping bag, giving him the appearance of a bandaged Crow.

I started making breakfast by the fire...which was basically boiled rice and curry, with some vegetables, "Um...hope you like rice everyone."

"Soy sauce with mine would be nice." I heard Gaara call from his sleeping bag, one visible hand waving from his sleeping pack.

Breakfast was rather quiet, aside from the occasional yawn from Kankuro, as well as a giggle or two from Kakashi as he read his favorite book, Icha Icha Chaos...Ero-sennin still was busy with the writing business. Soon enough though, we were up and running through the grassland. We had eventually noticed the grassland dissapear into sparse shrubery, then into gravel, then finally into a desert. However, Gaara said we still had a good half days worth of travel ahead. The temperature rise was also an indication, but a constant breeze kept us from being too hot.

I checked my watch when we stopped for the night; seven thirty-two. The sky was a light pink hue, and the warm air was suddenly cooling down rather quickly. We had found a nearby oasis to camp in, so we didn't have to worry about being covered in too much sand when we awoke the following morning.

"We will probably reach our destination by noon tomorrow. We're already an hour into Wind Country, so we're making good time." Gaara confirmed, setting down his belongings.

That night was not much different from the previous one, only difference was that I didn't have watch. Temari was sitting off in the dark, polishing her fan as we rested.

"Naruto." whispered the voice of Sakura.

"Hm?" I looked up, squinting from my eyes starting to droop.

"I'm cold, can we put our sleeping bags together?" she asked, already walking over to me.

I nodded as we unzipped our sleeping bags completely and rezipped them up so they combined into one large one. Sakura had found these sleeping bags while shopping months ago, and bought them for such situations during missions with me and her.

After we finished, she looked at the twin size sleeping bag, then gave me a very suggestive look.

"Sakura, you couldn't possibly be suggesting that, could you? I mean, Kakashi, Gaara, and Kankuro are right here..."

"I won't bother you two," Temari quietly added with a smirk, recieving a groan from me while Sakura merely laughed.

"I'm only kidding. I just enjoy teasing you like this." she then got into her side of the sleeping bag, "Now hurrry up and get in, I'm getting colder by the minute."

"Somehow I'm not convinced that you're really that cold..." I said with a grin, but went into our sleeping bag anyway, "Better now?" I asked, looking at the kunoichi next to me.

"_Much_ better." Sakura replied, resting her head against my chest.

"You know, I think I'm starting to spoil you..." I joked.

"Good, that means you're doing things right." Sakura said with a laugh, wrapping an arm around me.

Tomorrow morning Gaara would tell me that it been an unusually warm night for the Wind Country in the fall. Sakura would only wink at me when I told her this.

**end of Chap.11- eheheh...heeey...miss me much? (ducks to avoid a kunai) I know, it's been...about six months since I last updated...but have no fear, I'm up and ****running. Also, I have been ****writing out the chapters during my period of rest, so no, I haven't slacked off...completely. By the way, I'm going to start a little ****question and answer thing; got a question for me on the ****story? I'll try to answer it in the next chapter, as long as it doesn't give away anything. If you were all ****wondering why not much happened, then you were right, not much did. The last two ****chapters took place within one days time or so. Those who are good at ****guessing may have some ideas...heheh...want a hint...very well, but only a small ****one...she's back. There, nothing else, ****otherwise I'll have completely ruined my ****plan! Well, until we meet again! R&R, and I may actually have Shika, Chouji, ****Naruto, Konohamaru, Neji, and Kiba sing a song in a future ****chapter...or in a ****scene...picture the six singing Billy Joel's "The Longest Time" with Naruto ****on lead vocals...yes, now, isn't that a funny scene? Of course it is.**


	13. Long Time, No See

**Disclaimer: Me owning Naruto is as likely as Shikamaru joining Lee and Gai in running 200 laps around Konoha...it will never happen.**

**Chap. 12: Long Time, No See**

**(Kakashi's P.O.V)**

Our destination was now visible over the horizon. It was going onto eleven fifteen in the morning when we saw the small outpost come into view. We were now in the true desert of the Wind Country, and were open to the elements. Luckily, no sandstorms were blowing through the area at the time, which definitely helped our travel time.

"There it is, Palm Dunes, the only trading post and village in all of the five great nations that is under the control of _two _ninja villages." I heard Temari say as we reached the village gates. The village was surrounded by stone walls that were about half the height of those in Sunagakure. Needless to say, the village stood as a symbol of power and trust between the countries of Wind and Fire and their respective ninja villages. On either door was the symbol for fire and wind. I couldn't help but smile at this, the two villages have come along way.

We stood at the gates and watched as four ninja jumped down from the roof. Two were Chunin, and two were Jonin, each rank being from either Konoha or Suna. This only further convinced me of how well this village doing. Their forces were small, but since the village was tied to Konoha and Suna, it wasn't without assistance. All four saluted to Gaara upon seeing him, "Kazekage-sama, it's an honor for you to have you visit us. We recieved a message from Suna of your arrival earlier this morning." spoke one of the Sand Jonin.

Gaara nodded, but spoke in a serious, business-like manner, "We're not here for pleasure. I was wondering if there are any shinobi from Konoha that have come through these gates to meet with a Kakashi Hatake and myself." The Suna Jonin nodded and turned to the Leaf Chunin who pulled out a scroll with a list of various names, most likely people who have visited over the past couple of days.

"Yes, there was one person who we confirmed as a Leaf shinobi, they had an official letter of business from the Hokage herself, but they gave no name." replied the Leaf Chunin.

"That's to be expected. Thank you." Gaara said, and gestured for us to follow him.

"They seem to have things under control here." I heard Sakura say with obvious admiration in how well protected the village was.

Kankuro was the one to reply to this, "Well, Suna and Konoha have been working together in setting up an academy for desirable Genin canidates, and both villages sent out fifteen percent of their Chunin and Jonin here to provide the necessary support until things started picking up."

Temari nodded as she added on, "Currently Palm Dunes has about eighty Genin, fifty-five Chunin, twenty-six Special Jonin, and twenty Jonin who are living here, but the numbers could have gone up since two weeks ago."

We continued are walk through the small fortress-like village, and eventually reached a quiet tavern on the end of the main road. I turned to the group, "Now, according to what Tsunade told me, our client was to meet us at this adress around noon or so." I stated, looking at the mission scroll, nodding to myself to confirm everything.

"They'll be looking for us, namely Kakashi-san and myself." Gaara continued, "Hopefully they'll recognize and not draw too much attention."

"Don't you think that it's risky to have us all go in as one group?" Sakura asked, taking a look at the tavern.

"Yes, that's why you, Temari, and Kankuro will enter a few minutes after Kakashi-san, Naruto, and I do. It will seem less suspicious that way. Just try to keep a low profile..." Gaara replied as he walked towards the building, Naruto and myself following behind.

We walked into the smoky tavern, and the smell of alcohol hit my nostrils. Naruto seemed to be on alert while Gaara slowly scanned the room. The sound of drunken laughter filled the air, and I could only assume the worst.

"Our client better not have passed out drunk..." I groaned, not really wanting to look for a shinobi sleeping in a puddle of drool at the moment.

Gaara then spoke, "Kakashi-san, two o' clock."

I looked ahead to see a rather shady figure in the corner of the tavern wearing a cloak with the hood pulled over them, shrouding their face.

"Bingo..." I heard Naruto say, and we casually walked over to the table where our 'client' sat.

As we reached the table I noticed from the corner of my eye a flash of pink hair, followed by two other figures. They immediately took a seat a couple tables over from where we had been standing.

"Well, you all seem to be on time," spoke the mysterious figure who gestured for us to have a seat, "It's an honor that you could meet with me Kazekage-sama." the person seemed to be a woman from the sound of their voice. They didn't appear all that large in build either.

"Yes, from the letter I had gotten from Hokage-sama, this seemed to be of great importance." Gaara replied with no emotion. I had to admit, he definitely was good at going about business.

Naruto took the moment of silence to speak, "So, why are we here?"

I could barely see a smile behind the shadows of her hood, "To be blunt, I have information regarding the wherabouts and plans of Akatsuki." Naruto stiffened for a second, but returned to his serious state when he noticed me glance at him for a second.

"What makes this information so important?" I asked.

"Well, it can certainly help the Niju Shotai with tracking down the main hideout area." she replied.

"How is that?" I asked, becoming wary of her, seeing as she knew about the organization Tsunade created to take down Akatsuki.

She passed a scroll across the table casually, and Gaara opened it. After a few minutes of reading over it a little, he nodded, "Well, you certainly have your information down pretty well. I can only imagine how hard it was to remain undetected..."

She laughed, "Believe me, I rather not try it again anytime soon. The one they refer to as their leader is named Pein, and I barely got away with my life to get this last bit of information, since he was the one I had to spy on to get it." she stated, pointing to a particular bit of writing regarding the initial plans of Akatsuki, "They have all but one of the tailed-demons left to retrieve...the Kyuubi..." she continued in a deadly serious tone, "They are going to wait for about another six or so months before they attempt to capture the container..." she turned her head to Naruto. No, she didn't know...did she?

After some further information was exchanged, she spoke, "I believe I was to be escorted back to Konoha by you, correct Kakashi-san?"

I nodded, "Yes, that's correct."

"Well, if possible, I'd like to wait until tomorrow to leave, if that's not too much trouble."

We all agreed, and Naruto smiled, "You got it, lady!"

We got up, and walked with our client out the door. Sakura, Temari, and Kankuro followed behind us, "Well, it seems you came in a larger group than I expected. Wise on your parts I guess." she nodded, and she gave off no intention of trying to attack. She was innocent.

We exchanged the information with Sakura and the other two, then Kankuro nodded, "Well, seeing as we're staying for the night, I'll book us...five rooms at a hotel I know around here."

"I can share a room; four is fine." the woman stated, still wearing her hood up.

We decided to take a break after that. Naruto and Sakura went off to get some lunch and spend sometime alone while Gaara and Temari went to the village council building to see how things were going economically for Palm Dunes. That left me and Ms. Mystery alone.

"So, Hatake-san, how is Konoha?" she asked when we decided to sit on a bench under a palm tree in the central plaza, "I haven't been there for quite a long time."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Fine, I guess. The hospital has expanded since Tsunade became Hokage. Aside from the fifth face being carved on the Hokage Monument, not much else has physically changed. Seeing as you're a Leaf ninja, you can probably imagine what that would look like."

She nodded, "Heh, yes, but I can't recall just how beautiful Konoha looks like...despite how long I've been a ninja." she added with a somewhat disheartened tone.

"How long is that now?"

She looked, revealing nothing but her smile beneath the hood, "Almost as long as you have been, if not exactly."

I raised an eyebrow, "Really now? I hope not, because if I can't recognize you, I _must_ be getting old."

She laughed, and for some reason it triggered something. Now, I never was one to pay that much attention to female aquaintances in regards to business, but this one had my attention and curiousity awakened. Her laughter...it just...seemed to remind me of something...

We continued with the small talk, nothing in particular, but it was about to take a major turn from that, "So, Miss...um...wow, now that I think of it, I never _did_ get your name." I said, feeling slightly embarassed.

"Yes, I don't give my identity away that often, even amongst my fellow shinobi..." she said, her shoulders drooping slightly.

"Do you mind me asking why? I mean, it would help, since I will be escorting you along with Naruto and Sakura." I asked her.

"Why?" she seemed to becoming more distant by the minute, "...long story...but I'm sure you would know it." she replied, barely above a whisper.

Now I was interested, "Me...?"

She laughed, "I've been away for close to nineteen years, Kakashi...and I regret leaving it for the long term mission that the Sandaime gave me."

I said nothing, but something was screaming in my head, telling me that I should know this person..._something_...

I could see a trail of tears going down her face, "The night that sensei died...I made a vow to myself that I would complete this mission...I felt so...needy of someone to keep me from going off the deep end...but you were already going on to be an ANBU, and I can't blame you for being busy..."

She turned to me fully now, and I could see the faint shining of tears, "I've missed you...you know that, right?"

"...what are you?"

She put a hand on my cheek, and slowly pulled up my head band. For some reason, I didn't attempt to stop her.

"I see my handiwork is still evident...Obito was right to give it to you...Kakashi-_kun_..."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. My Sharingan swirled as I scanned the shaded features of an almost visible face of a woman. Then, it all clicked.

"It...it can't be...could you...?"

She nodded, "It is."

I pulled down her hood, "R...Rin???" I said in a shaky voice.

She slowly embraced me, which I returned, still in shock, "Yes, it's me..."

I pulled away, still holding her, and stared into her gentle, brown eyes. I ran a hand through her dark orange hair, and spoke, "Has it really been only nineteen years? I...I thought you were..." I let my head fall, not finishing my sentence.

Her smile was just as cheerful as it was all those years back.

She began to frown though when I paused in mid-sentence, "Yeah...alot of people thought I died...not just you, Kakashi." she gave me an understanding look.

I felt my eyes water up, and for the first time since Naruto had 'died' those couple years back, I let a few tears fall, "I'm sorry Rin...I should have tried to look for you." I apologized, hanging my head in shame.

"Why? I wasn't declared a missing-nin. Sarutobi knew I was alive, and he heard rumors of some organization...and once I heard of the Sandaime's death, I sent Tsunade-sama a letter explaining my mission." she sighed, pulling my head band down after brushing a hand over the scar where my Sharingan lay, "Besides, with the reputation you had made for yourself, I can hardly say that I didn't have a chance to try and find you and let you know I was alive."

I looked into her eyes, never letting them leave my sight, "Rin...please...give me another chance. I'll never treat you like I did back then ever again...I promise."

Rin let a few stray tears fall before nodding, "Nineteen years felt alot longer than it should have. Strangely, even with all the time that passed, I still thought about you and our team..."

I chuckled a little, "That makes two of us then."

It was nothing short of a miracle that I was speaking to the kunoichi that I had given up for dead all those years back when the Yondaime died. What was even stranger was that Naruto had talked to me about Rin just the other night...

I looked to the horizon...when did it get so late? The sun cast a beautiful orange and purple hue across the sky. Rin and I sat there in comfortable silence, enjoying this moment after a nineteen year seperation.

Naruto being my student and the son of my former sensei was one thing that had made my life a little brighter...and now Rin was here with me...it made me wonder if someone...wherever they were, was watching me...

_'Obito...Minato-sensei...I think I'm finally...complete...thanks...'_

**end of Chap.12- Heheh...who saw it coming, eh? Well, I had this part planned out WAAAYY back when I was working on 'Better Late Than Never', but figured this would be the appropriate time to have Rin and Kakashi reunite. The next chapter will be focusing back to Naruto and Sakura...and it's going to be a 'tough-love' chapter as I put it, because I don't plan on making this all rainbows and butterflies. Oh, don't worry, nothing to dramatic...maybe. Well, if you got any questions or comments, leave me a review, otherwise, hold on until the next chapter. Later!**


	14. Tears and Taverns

**Disclaimer: I'm trying something different for this disclaimer so here it goes:**

**Kakashi: Oh...you've got to be kidding-**

**Denim88: Just shut up, almost every author on here's done this at least once!**

**Kakashi: You know, there's nothing wrong with not following the rest of the people...**

**Denim88: Do it or else...**

**Kakashi: Or else what?**

**Denim88: You know, I don't think I put enough Gai and Lee in the story yet...**

**Kakashi: Denim88 doesn't own Naruto or any of it's characters...there that good enough for you?**

**Denim88: I guess. I'm still putting the two in a later chapter you know.**

**Kakashi: I hate you.**

**Chap.13: Tears and Taverns**

**(Sakura's P.O.V)**

We found the hotel around six or so. Kankuro was waiting for us by himself.

"Heh, about time you two showed up. I was wondering if you two had forgot about me booking this hotel and ran off to find your own room some place else." he joked, throwing us the keys to the room.

"Nah, we could never do that to you Kankuro." Naruto smirked as we headed to our room.

Our room was surprisingly large, and to top it off, there was a queen size bed.

"Geez, Kankuro sure knows how to treat his friends..." I commented, admiring the room.

After we got unpacked, I took a moment to admire the view from our window. That's when I noticed Kakashi walking towards the hotel with a woman. She must have been our client, considering she was wearing the same cloak.

"Naruto, come look at this." I said, beckoning Naruto over to the window.

Naruto walked over to the window and smirked when he saw the two, "Hmm...looks like the two have become quite friendly." He nodded, noticing the two were holding hands.

"You think maybe there's something between the two? I've never seen him that close to a woman before." I turned to face the blonde.

"Well, she _is _a Leaf-nin...maybe they know each other." Naruto suggested. I shrugged my shoulders, unsure what to make of it.

"Hm...well, if she can look past Kakashi-sensei being a pervert, maybe they'll get together," I said with a smile, "Well, I was able deal with you being like that, so she shouldn't have too much of a problem..."

"Hey!"

Later that evening we all met at a small restaurant. Naruto and I didn't order very much considering we already had a late lunch. Naruto _was_ going to order three bowls of ramen, but I convinced him otherwise. I soon found myself sitting at a table across from the guys with Temari and the woman who I found out was named Rin. She apparantly was a former teammate of Kakashi's, and they went way back.

Rin leaned an elbow and propped her chin in her hands,"So, I heard from Kakashi that you've been personally trained under the Hokage."

"That's correct, Rin-san." I nodded.

Rin laughed, "Please, no need for formalities. It makes me feel old." she said with a pleasant smile. I definitely could see why Kakashi was much more cheerful this evening than usual. Rin's attitude seemed to rub off on you, "So...is it true that you and Uzumaki are a thing?"

I was pretty sure I was blushing now, luckily Temari answered for me, "Yes, they have been for a little more than...two years, right Sakura?"

"Yeah." I nodded, feeling Rin's eyes bore into me.

"You seem ashamed of it." Rin said sarcastically, noticing my discomfort.

"Oh, she's just so honored that she's dating a shinobi who's as much of a gentleman as he is handsome," teased Temari. We turned to the table where the guys sat to see Naruto putting two chopsticks in his mouth while imitating a walrus.

I decided to change the subject, and get some payback, "Well, _you_ seem very comfortable around Kakashi-sensei..."

Rin blinked, then smiled with a aura of brash confidence, "Of course, I was on his team. Why shouldn't I?"

Temari decided to back me up, "Please, tell me how you captured the interest of the great Sharingan Kakashi."

Rin merely laughed, "Oh, I'm just his type...and he owes me it. I helped _give_ him that namesake. It wasn't that easy implanting that eye of his from Obito."

"Wait, Kakashi got that eye from someone else?" I asked. Kakashi never elaborated on how he had the Uchiha bloodline's gift without being an Uchiha himself.

"Sure. Obito wanted me to give the Sharingan to him, as a parting gift..." Rin seemed to become quiet for a moment, "Besides, Kakashi lost his left eye in a battle, so it was also Obito's way of helping fix the problem. Being a medic-nin, I was able to help."

We spent the rest of the evening at the restaurant listening to the Jonin-rank medic tell us about her life and experiences with Kakashi and the others on her team.

"Yeah, and after Obito died, things got a little shaky between Kakashi and me. We didn't talk much as it was, though I had a major crush on him since day one. Anyway, after the Yondaime died, I was without a sensei or a teammate, since Kakashi had gone on to join the ANBU before the Kyuubi attack..." she paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, "Sandaime-sama had heard various rumors of missing-nin forming an organization, and seeing as I had no team or sensei, he gave me about two years worth of pay and asked me if I would volunteer to take on a long term mission doing spying on this organization. He did this mainly because my stealth and espionage skills were only second to my healing, and if I joined ANBU I would have to join a team, which would increase my chances of being slowed down in my mission. So, for the past nineteen years, I've been spying on Akatsuki." Rin explained.

"Well, what was the reason for your sudden need to meet with us?" Temari had asked.

Rin looked over to a certain blonde-haired ninja, "Minato-sensei's son is in danger. If they capture him though, we'll all be in a world of trouble..."

Temari was quiet for a few seconds. Then, her eyes widened, "Wait, you mean...Naruto's the son of...?"

Rin nodded, "Yep, Naruto is the only son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze...and the sole survivor of the Fourth Hokage's family..." she smiled at the blonde, who was currently engrossed in seeing how long he could balance a kunai on his index finger. Gaara was rolling his eyes while Kankuro was trying to sneak a glance over Kakashi's shoulder to read a certain book, "Sensei didn't have the heart to seal the Kyuubi inside anyone else's child, and Naruto was almost a sign from above that he was the one to carry the burden. I was there when Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed in him, and from the moment I saw him, I knew he was indeed Minato-sensei's son. Naruto sure has made the best of his life, considering what he's dealt with."

I spoke this time, "So you've heard of the stories about the villagers?"

Rin nodded with a somewhat disgusted look on her face, "It's horrible, but yeah, I've heard through letters between Sarutobi-sama and myself. I was concerned for the boy, and I wanted to know just how he was doing. The last letter I got told me that Naruto had mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu in one night." she shook her head with a chuckle, "He's definitely gotten stronger because of what he's gone through."

"You have no idea." I added with a nod.

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

We went back to the hotel after our dinner to rest for the night. Sakura was being unusually quiet; the kind of quiet that occurs before a bad topic is brought up.

"Rin told me that Akatsuki is getting stronger..." Sakura said barely above a whisper. I hate it when I'm right.

"Really?" I replied, trying not to show much interest. I didn't want to get into this conversation.

_Bad idea..._

"What, that's all you have to say about it??" Sakura asked me, her voice suddenly angry.

I turned to face her, "Well, I'm not going to let _them_ dictate how I live! That's what they want!! I'll just continue training until I can beat them, problem solved!"

Sakura clenched her fists, "_No_, what you're doing right now is what they want! They'll attack when you're least expecting it! That's why we need to come up with a plan!!"

I let out a deep breath, "That's why I've been training with Kyuubi, Sakura! My plan is to become powerful enough to eliminate every last one of those traitorous criminals! "

Sakura forced a laugh, "Oh, of course, Kyuubi solves everything, doesn't he? Be real, Naruto! Even Kyuubi would agree with me; you're only one man! Taking them all on at once is ludicrous!" she began to shed tears.

"I'm training so I can keep you from getting hurt, and so that-"

She cut me off, "And so I'm not a burden?!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation, "No, I never would have said that, Sakura!"

She growled out in anger, "_Damn it, Naruto!_ We're a team!! A _team_!!! Not to mention that you are one of the most important people in my life! Is the idea of me fighting alongside you that hard to imagine?!" she was screaming now, and slammed a fist onto the arm of a chair, snapping it from her sheer strength.

"Will you stop it?!!" I yelled back, matching her tone, "They are after _me_, not you, _ME_!! I will _not _putanyone else's life in danger if I can help it. Worst case scenario, I'll die taking them all with me!!"

The gleam in her eyes told me that was _definitely_ the wrong thing to say.

SLAP!!

Sakura was now letting the tears fall freely, yet her voice was firm, "Go..." she said pointing to the door.

I let out sigh, "But...Sakura..."

"I said _GO_!" she was literally bawling now, "If you can't trust me to take care of myself or you in battle, then how could you possibly trust sharing the rest of your life together with me??"

"I never..."

"You seem to trust Kyuubi-teme more than me...because I just _know _you two are so important to each oth-" she put a hand over her mouth, and her eyes told me that she never meant a single one of those last words. I know she didn't mean it either...she was merely angry, and that happens to the best of us...

I turned towards the door, "I need to be alone for awhile."

"I didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't, Sakura-chan. It's okay...Kyuubi isn't mad at you, and neither am I." I said honestly. I could never be mad at her for being concerned about my safety. I was, however, upset with how stubborn she was about trying to protect me from Akatsuki.

I opened the door, but before I stepped out, Sakura called to me, "Naruto...?"

I looked to her.

She gave me a weak, yet genuine smile, "I still love you."

I let out a weak laugh, "I still love you too, Sakura-chan."

I then walked out into the dark hallway, going wherever my feet would take me. I thought I heard a few sobs echo down the hall, but I ignored them, probably because I would start crying too if I tried to pay attention to them.

I eventually found myself facing the tavern we were at earlier today to meet with Rin. I dropped my head in shame, and walked into the dimly lit building, still not completely aware of what I was doing.

**(Kakashi's P.O.V)**

I was awakened by the sound of yelling in the room next to Rin and me. We ended up sharing the room with two twin beds, but Rin ended up in my bed at some point in time. She didn't do anything more than wrap her arms around me and I was fine with that.

"You should go see what the problem is..." Rin said, her voice muffled by a pillow.

"Sounds like Sakura's been crying too...Naruto's probably the cause..." I yawned, putting on my headband and pulling up my mask. After I put on my clothes, I went out to the hall to find a sobbing Sakura being held by Temari.

"Sakura, you are not a bad person. Naruto was just being the baka that he always is, okay? I know how the whole Akatsuki ordeal is between you too."

Sakura cried a bit more, "I...I-I don't know why I was so horrible to him...I don't know what it's like to house the Kyuubi! Why am I so stupid?!"

Temari let out a laugh, "Sakura, if that is the extent of you being horrible to him, you should see me when I get mad a Shikamaru," she gave Sakura a soft smile, "Come on, you can stay in my room for the night, okay?"

Sakura nodded calmly, and walked into the room. Temari noticed me and nodded.

"So, what's all this about?" I asked the Suna kunoichi as I walked over to her.

She shook her head, "She had a fight with Naruto...I think it was about Akatsuki..." she was barely above a whisper, "Naruto was very adamant about her getting involved; he wants to keep everyone from getting hurt apparantly." She rubbed her temples, but was smiling, "That guy has a heart of gold, but his head doesn't seem to always be on straight."

"I'll go find him. He may not show it, but he's probably torn up on the inside right now." I replied with a nod, then walked down to the exit of the building.

I was walking down the main road of the village, trying to sniff out a certain chakra level. After a good fifteen minutes, I found myself in front of the tavern we were at with Rin when we all met.

"Please not here..." I pleaded to whatever higher powers there were, knowing that the bad feeling in my stomach wasn't from the food I ate earlier.

I entered said tavern and my predictions unfortunately held true. There at the bar counter sat a blonde haired shinobi sporting a black jumpsuit with orange. He was swaying ever so slightly in his seat. Which also raised a red flag, what made him drunk? Kyuubi was fairly good at cleaning out toxins before they affected him, so no normal alcohol could get him like this...

"Kid, listen, I respect that you're a shinobi of the Leaf, but you've had enough, okay?" said the bartender with a strained look.

Naruto leered at him, "'Ey, don't go and say what my limits are..kay? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and 'omeday I'm going to be the 'okage, believe it!"

"I'm sorry, but at the rate you're going, you'll be getting your stomach pumped first before that happens." the bartender calmly retorted.

"Just 'ive me another glass of that strong stuff again." slurred the blonde Jonin.

I sat down next to the oblivous blonde, "I'll have a glass of water, please."

Naruto turned towards me, then grinned, "Kakashi-sensei? Haha, how did you find me 'ere?" he asked with half-lidded eyes.

"Naruto, what are you doing here? Above that, what are you doing intoxicated while on a mission?" I asked rather sternly.

Naruto snorted, "Tch, I'm fine! Here, I'll make five clones for you right now!" Naruto made the proper seal...but instead of five, made _nine_. The blonde dispersed the clones, then grinned, "See, perfectly fine, hic."

The bartender handed Naruto his glass of heaven knows what, then gave me my water, "You teammates with this kid?"

"Yes. He's not a drinker though."

The bartender nodded, "I can tell. That stuff is some of the strongest stuff here, and only the most seasoned of Jonin would dare drink that stuff...I'm amazed he's still concious."

I nodded, "Naruto's not like most shinobi though," I then turned to the somewhat tipsy shinobi, "Come on, Naruto, we're heading back to the hotel now."

Naruto merely shook his head, "Nope, no can do Kakashi-sensei...Sakura-chan's mad at me, and I need to 'ive her some time to cool off. Hic!"

That alcohol must have been potent, seeing as Naruto was starting to have minor trouble sitting straight. Either that, or Kyuubi was taking a break from flushing out toxins. The equivalent to Naruto being drunk was for a veteran shinobi to be in a hospital and comatose. However, Naruto was still aware of what had happened, and was still as stubborn as ever.

I then had an idea, "Naruto, do I have something in my eye?"

Naruto looked at my eye, and his eyelids closed, and his body fell to the floor. I light snoring could be heard.

"What the heck did you do?" the bartender asked, a little shocked by what transpired in the past few seconds.

"I put him under a sleeping genjutsu...the thing that's sad about it is that he probably wouldn't have fallen for it if he weren't drunk." I replied, heaving Naruto over my shoulders and paying for Naruto's bill.

When we arrived back to the hotel, I knocked on Temari's door lightly. A moment later, Temari opened it slightly, then upon seeing me, walked out into the hall, "Ugh...is that alcohol I smell?"

I groaned, "Our friend here decided to drown himself in some heavy tonics at the local tavern. I had to put him under a sleeping jutsu in order to get him out of there."

Temari gave me a confused look, "Since when was Naruto a drinker?"

"Never. I guess all the stress of what he found out today and with the fight was too much for him to handle..." I closed my eye and shook my head, "I can only imagine what it's like to be the holder of the Kyuubi, and then find out that some nuke-nin want it from you. Not to mention you'll die when it's extracted..."

Temari gave the sleeping figure a sad, yet also somewhat disouraging look, "Well, Sakura's asleep, so I guess you can just put him in his room for the night."

I said good-night to Temari and took the keys from Naruto's pocket to open the room door. I set him on his bed, not envying his current situation in the least bit, "You're going to be hating yourself tomorrow morning, Naruto." I said, and after lockin his door from the inside, teleported back to my room right next door.

"I'm getting too old for this," I said while taking off my headband and Jonin uniform.

"Stop saying that, I'm around the same age as you." I heard Rin say.

"Sorry about them...they're not usually like this."

Rin gave me a look saying she understood, "The way they fight shows they care for each other you know."

"Yeah, they would do anything for each other." I added.

"Were they always that way?" Rin asked as I crawled into the only occupied bed in the room.

I laughed a little at the question, "When they first started as a team, Sakura couldn't stand him."

"Really?" Rin asked, amused by the answer.

"Yeah, Sakura thought Naruto was the most annoying thing to ever grace Konoha," I paused for a moment, "...Naruto however, loved Sakura. I don't think it was just infatuation either. He honestly cared about her."

"The kid's got a big heart." Rin commented, leaning her head against mine.

I nodded in agreement, "It's his greatest strength...and also his greatest fault. He would protect Sakura at the cost of his own life without a moment's hesitation. Well, actually I'm sure he would do that for any of his close friends or comrades, but he especially would for Sakura." I rubbed my forehead, trying to get rid of the encroaching headache, "I'm afraid that Akatsuki may try to exploit that flaw in him in order to get to the Kyuubi. What's even worse is how Sakura feels about all this. Naruto's the reason she is as strong and talented as she is, and vice versa. She is trying to get stronger to protect Naruto, and to stop those missing-nin."

Rin nodded, "He's certainly Minato-sensei and Kushina-neesan's son..."

"Not just in personality either...he knows the Rasengan, and has nearly perfected the new form he created, his Wind Release: Spiraling Shurikan. It's still classified as a forbidden jutsu though, since it literally rips Naruto's arm into a bloody mess. He's...getting better though."

Rin was surprised by this, "Minato-sensei's son completed the technique then...wow, I've missed alot these past nineteen years."

"I'm just glad you're back."

Rin poked my forehead, "Did the great Copy-nin Kakashi actually _miss _someone?"

I sighed, "You caught me Rin. I actually care about you."

"You better, because otherwise it's going to be tough living with you when we get back to Konoha." she replied.

I raised an eyebrow, "So, you've already decided you're moving into my place? I only have _one_ bed though."

Rin wrapped her arms around me tighter, "Well, then I guess we better get used to this..."

Sleep eventually took me again, and I don't recall the pounding headache that I had gotten earlier that evening. I was definitely glad that I had taken this mission.

**end of Chap.13- Now, I know what you're saying, 'Aren't Kakashi and Rin going about this too fast?' Well, considering that they both have missed each other in the nineteen year seperation, and that they are ninja who are constantly in threat of dying...I'd say they're going about it fine. Well, I have one more chapter for this mission, then I'll be making a time jump by about...oh...six months or so. Anyways, hope you're enjoying my story, and please feel free to leave me a review. Again, if you got a question, I'll try to answer it in the next chapter! Until then, later!**


	15. Apologies

**Disclaimer: You ever get the feeling where you wish you had created Naruto? Yeah...me too.**

**Chap.15: Apologies**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I awoke with a pounding headache. I tried to remember what happened. Sakura and I had a fight, I left, went to a tavern...and the last thing I remember was seeing Kakashi.

"Well that explains this hangover and how I got back here...Kakashi probably got me back here." I said to myself. I got out of the bed, and rubbed my temples in a futile attempt to relieve the pain, "I guess I deserve this hangover."

**"Kit, can I ask you a question?"** came the ever loud voice of a nine-tailed demon fox.

"Ask away..." I mumbled.

**"Why are you an idiot?"**

I groaned, "Kyuubi, please not now."

**"No way, I'm going to give you the worst headache ever so you can be sure to never go out and pull something stupid like that after fighting with Sakura."** Kyuubi replied with a growl, making my already horrid condition worsen.

"You wouldn't understand..." I whispered, knowing full well that it wouldn't make a distance.

**"Cut the crap! I've been with you since the day you started wetting yourself! I'm **_**not**_** going to let you sulk, got it?!"** the demon-fox answered, banging his tails against the cage for added effect.

"What do you want me to do?" I sighed, getting up after the echoing in my head ceased.

**"Well, shower up first. You reek," **Kyuubi snapped, **"Then go over and apologize to Sakura. I think she's in one of the others' rooms."**

"Sure thing," I replied, "you mind getting rid of this headache?"

**"As soon as you apologize to Sakura..." **Kyuubi finished, and cut off further connections with me for the time being.

After showering up and changing into a different jumpsuit, I ate quickly and went to Kakashi's door. It was close to ten o' clock, so he was surely up by now. I knocked on the door, and moments later there stood a very tired looking Kakashi Hatake at the entrance.

"Well, look who's up..." he said with very little cheerfulness in his voice, "...care to explain last night?" his voice was stern. Not good.

"Is Sakura here?" I asked, ignoring the comment.

"No. She, Temari, and Rin left to look around the town just an hour ago. Gaara and Kankuro left for breakfast, so you can explain to me about last night until they return." he replied, folding his arms. I had to admit, he could really be intimidating when the occasion called for it. If I didn't know him any better then I was sure I would have turned tail and ran back to my room.

"Sakura and I got into a little arguement last night, that's all."

"Yeah, but I think there's more to it than just 'a little arguement', am I right?" Kakashi asked, reading my thoughts.

"...yeah..." I admitted.

"Come inside, we'll talk in here." the Jonin said, opening the door to his room all the way.

I walked in and noticed something peculiar; one bed appeared completely untouched, while the other had the sheets ruffled and kicked to the foot of the bed. I gave Kakashi a knowing look, "So, it looks like all those years apart from Rin had an affect on you, didn't it."

Kakashi merely looked at me and shrugged, "We just shared the bed, nothing else. It's not any different from what you and Sakura did..." he paused, then spoke a little softer, "...besides, you should talk, seeing as how I heard about Sakura's 'real' birthday gift for you on that night."

I stood there, mouth open, but nevertheless, mute. After a minute, I spoke, "How...did you...?"

Kakashi smirked behind his mask, "Trust me, being a Jonin means you hear these things...and considering that I'm a friend of Kurenai's has it's advantages at times when you want to learn about the happenings in the kunoichi world. You shouldn't be ashamed though; Sakura seemed fairly pleased with-"

"Okay, okay, enough..."

We both sat down and Kakashi spoke, "What made you two start bickering like that last night?"

I slumped into my chair, shaking my head, "...Akatsuki."

Kakashi let out a "hm" to indicate his understanding. He knew better than anyone how Sakura and I were affected by the group, "So...what did you say?"

"I just said that I don't want her to get involved any further so she would be safe."

Kakashi chuckled, despite the topic, "I'm sure that she _definitely_ agreed with that, right?"

I glared a little, but then realized he was trying to lighten up the situation, "Heh, if only."

"You don't like the idea of her fighting alongside you in a battle with them?" Kakashi inquired, leaning forward a bit in his chair.

"I'd be lying if I said otherwise. If she isn't the reason for them to attack, or if it doesn't directly involve the both of us, then why should she bother helping me?" I asked.

"Naruto, I can understand where you are coming from...but you got to understand that it sort of _does_ involve the two of you. The reason why Sakura would fight for you is the same reason why you would fight for her if the roles were switched between you two and that she would contain the Kyuubi." the masked Jonin replied.

I hated it when he used his superior logic against me like that.

I banged my head against the table we sat at, "Why did this have to happen to me? Why did those stupid missing-nin have to become interested in Kyuubi and me?"

Kakashi gave me an almost sympathetic look, "Naruto...I don't think I'll ever be able to fully understand how it feels...but I'm trying to understand, believe me. I don't know what it's like to house _the_ most powerful of the tailed demons inside of my body. However, I will tell you that, considering how close you and Sakura are, you should try to see Sakura's point of view in this situation. She has someone who means the world to her that is in constant danger of being captured and killed by some of the most dangerous shinobi in all of the shinobi nations."

I nodded, but then spoke, "Exactly; this is Itachi and Kisame we're talking about here. They won't let anything get in their way, and taking a hostage I'm sure isn't beyond them. Sakura would make the perfect target for them."

Kakashi sighed, "That's a valid point. You have to remember though that Sakura's anything but weak."

I smiled, "Yes...but she's also a medic-nin...not an ANBU...she doesn't specialize it taking down these kind of shinobi."

"Oh, and _you're_ an ANBU?" Kakashi shot back with an amused tone.

"Not yet...I plan to be one soon enough though." I replied in defense.

Kakashi nodded while putting a hand under his chin, "Well then, I look forward to hearing of your accomplishments when you join the ANBU Black Ops."

Before further conversation could be made, the door opened to reveal Rin, Sakura, and Temari. Sakura looked to me, then looked to the floor to avert my eyes.

"Well, how were the stores?" Kakashi asked, trying to prevent any awkward silence.

Rin seemed to catch on, "They were all right. The selections were not to big, but..." she lifted her bags, "...they should do."

"Well, I'm going to pack up my things so we can get going. We're heading back to Konoha today, right?" Sakura asked.

"Yep, we'll probably be going at a faster pace though with Rin. If Akatsuki got word of her being here, well...things could turn ugly." Kakashi answered.

"Well, I'm heading back to Suna with my brothers first to get my belongings all packed up. I'll probably be back in Konoha within a week's time." Temari added.

Sakura smiled, "I still can't believe that Shikamaru actually proposed...I was thinking you were going to be forcing it out of him soon enough."

"Yep, I was suprised as well," Temari agreed, "he seems to pull a fast one like that when no one else expects it." A dreamy looked started to show on her face, but then turned into a frown, "Still, he could have done it soner."

A half hour later, I was packing up my few things that I brought with me on the mission while an uncomfortable silence hung in the air between me and Sakura. I needed to end this. Either that, or face the never end wrath that Kyuubi would throw upon me in the form of a nine-tailed migraine jutsu...

"Sakura...I'm sorry for that whole...fight we had last night." I said, walking up behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist.

She turned to face me with a smile, a weak one, but still loving nevertheless, "I know...but you didn't have to go and get drunk..."

I nodded, "I still don't have an excuse outside of being a total idiot for doing that."

"Promise me something..." she said, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

"...anything..." I replied.

"Promise me that you'll always trust me...no matter what." she continued.

"I promise, Sakura-chan. I also promise you something else..."

"What?" she asked.

I looked into those shimmering emerald eyes that held all the beauty, ferocity, wisdom, and kindness that a kunoichi could ever ask for, but never recieve, "I promise that as long as you live, I will be with you."

"...Naruto..." she said, tears threatening to fall.

I meant it. Sakura was my light, my pillar of strength. With her by my side, I could lift up the universe if she wanted me to badly enough.

The trip back to Konoha was relatively peaceful. The day after we returned, Sakura moved in with me. A week and a half later, Temari became a resident at the Nara household. She also became the first shinobi to have dual citizenship between Suna and Konoha in the villages' histories.

Rin moved in with Kakashi, and became a Jonin-level medic after showing her expertise to Shizue and Tsunade. She now ranks above Sakura, but Rin herself said that Sakura was likely to surpass Rin, Shizune, and Tsunade in due time.

Life seemed to be going well for me, and Tsunade promoted me to the ANBU within the month.

However, though things were looking up, I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad would soon befall not just Konoha, but maybe all of the ninja nations...

**end of Chap.14- Well, there you have it. The end of the Palm Dunes mission is a success. Not to mention that Naruto is an ANBU now! Well, as you can guess, things aren't that wonderful all the time in the world of Naruto. I'll probably wait and let you all suffer before I update again, oh, don't worry, the next chapter should be fairly good. R&R!**

**And now for some recent reviews: IronicEnding (thanks for your opinion on Naruto and Sakura's relationship on the story. Yeah, I was trying to avoid the sappy perfect relationship thing, because we all know that there's now way that the two wouldn't anger each other at some point in time. As for Naruto, yes, the tavern scene was a little OOC for him, but I figured he never truly planned on it, and was just trying to forget about his problems...I don't plan on anymore like that, since he hated the idea from the start.) mangalover248 (glad you like how I went along with Kakashi and Rin. I was worried people would end up getting pissed saying "Oh no, not another 'Rin comes back after so many years and says she misses Kakashi' fic." Well, they will be a couple in this story, and will probably remain in the background for now as far as romance scenes.) And to the rest of those who even after the long wait period have reviewed my recent updates, thank you for your reviews. I **_**will **_**finish this story, or so help me I'll run two hundred laps around my campus!!! **

**Lee: Gai-sensei, Denim88 seems to burn with the flames of youth like we do!!!**

**Gai: Indeed my youthful student!**

**Lee: Denim88, I would greatly enjoy a match with you someday!**

**Denim88: Um...I don't know anything about Taijutsu...**

**Lee: Gai-sensei, our youthful friend doesn't know how to fight.**

**Gai: It's all right Lee...he's an author...**

**Lee: That's right Gai-sensei! He's beyond our capabilities!**

**Gai: Lee from here on out, we'll be working on our writing skills as well as our regular training! Now, let the flames of youth give us some inspiration to write like Denim88! (runs off)**

**Lee: Ossu!!! (follows Gai)**

**Denim88: Wow, I have too much spare time on my hands to do this stuff after a chapter...**


	16. The Last of the Uchiha

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, because if I did, this following chapter would definitely have been part of a series or something**

**Chap.15: The Last of the Uchiha**

**6 months after retrieving Rin...**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I felt the wind rush through my hair as I ran thorough the trees in the early spring night air. The moon provided the only light to help guide me as I ran towards the general direction of where I was to meet up with the other three. I stopped on a branch that was about sixty feet away from a clearing. I scanned the area, seeing if my targets would appear.

No more than a few seconds after I landed on the branch did I feel another presence. I turned to see a woman with blonde hair and a wooden pig mask standing behind me. She wore a similar uniform like mine, obviously a smaller size, but nevertheless similar.

"What do you make of all this?" I asked, turning back to the clearing.

Ino sat down on the branch and pulled out a ration bar, broke it in half and handed half of it to me, "Well, Tenten and Shino said everything's clear north of us. My best guess is the Rock-nin are either hiding, or retreating. The group was only made up of about six in all, four of them were Chunin, the other two were Jonin."

I nodded quietly, "Hm. Let's not jump to conclusions like last time..." I said, taking my fox mask off for a moment, giving her a look to emphasize what I meant.

"Hey, those Cloud-nin were hiding for a good day and a half. How was I supposed to know they had a good fifty yard radius covered with explosive tags?" she said, pointing at me, "I mean, it's not like I was the only one who ran out into a blantantly obvious trap two weeks ago..."

I groaned, "Yeah, well the Sound-nin are all but gone now, so I won't have to worry about senbon needles flying from festival lights anytime soon while in Rice Country."

Minutes later a woman wearing a panda mask and a man in a hooded jacket with a hawk mask followed close behind. The woman nodded to us, "We've searched the east section thoroughly; all's clear."

A nod came from the man, "None of my insects have anything to report either..."

Yes, I admit it, working with Tenten, Ino, and Shino was nothing that I expected to happen, even though I knew they were going to become ANBU like myself. We were, as Tsunade put it, 'so varied in talent that one of us would surely make up for another teammate's weakness.' Shino was our captain, and was a good one at that. However, even the usually silent bug-user admitted that he saw me as a possibe ANBU captain in the near future.

It was a little wierd at first; Ino was always trying to get me to talk about stuff involving me and Sakura that I would rather _not _mention publicly, and Shino insisted that we always have a few of his kikaichu bugs to help with us at all times during missions, only four or five max, in case we got seperated. I had no problem with it...but Ino and Tenten...well, I won't go there. I actually found it kind of neat seeing the little bugs flying off my shoulder at random times, and then see them fly back minutes later to nestle inside my uniform. Shino had personally trained ours six legged companions to feel any signal of distress from Ino, Tenten, or myself, and communicate with Shino about anything serious.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked down to the clearing again. Ino spoke quietly, "They're probably waiting for us with an ambush...it's been close to three hours since the escaped from us."

Suddenly, we all fell silent as a wave of killing intent filled the air. Tenten actually shivered slightly, but made no noise. I could tell since we all were only centimeters apart from each other on the same sturdy branch. A few of Shino's kikaichu flew around us, and everyone was tense...this killer intent was familiar...but..._how_...?

Before any of us could say a word, four of the six Iwagakure ninja we were after ran through the clearing. They seemed to be running from something...or someone. A moment later, another Rock-nin fell to the ground dead as a shurikan imbedded into this neck...from the front...whoever they were running from was fast. They managed to get in front of the Iwa-nin and attack with out the retreating ninja noticing.

"What the-?" Tenten whispered, "...this could be bad..."

"Be ready..." Shino said quietly, making no further noise.

Suddenly, the now three remaining ninja were attacked by what appeared to be...sharks??? The Iwa-nin cried out in pain as the water sharks ripped them to pieces, then dissapeared into the damp grass.

"Water style? How...there's no significant water source around here to..." Ino cut her self off as two figures walked over to the now dead shinobi of the Hidden Rock village.

"Heh, sorry Itachi. I'll save more for you next time."

My breath got caught in my throat.

Itachi???

No...not now...not with my _teammates_...

"Nevermind that Kisame. Just take whatever's on them that's of value to us so we can hurry up and head to Konoha." said the shorter of the two, "As long as Naruto doesn't know we're here, we have the advantage."

Ino put a hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed it. I could sense Shino and Tenten send me a similar signal. I turned to them, and they all gave me looks through their masks, silently telling me what I already knew, but wouldn't obey.

_We got to get you out of here, now, Naruto!_

I shook my head and they only seemed to tense up more. They were all facing the clearing again. I slowly turned, silently pulling down my mask.

Itachi froze in place all of the sudden.

"Don't move a muscle." I said to the three as quietly as possible.

Kisame turned to the Uchiha, "What?"

"Not sure..." Itachi said, raising his head as he looked around the surrounding forest, "I feel like..." he pulled out a kunai, "...we're not alone..."

"Really?" Kisame asked, getting up and grinning that toothy grin of his, the kind before a fight. Tenten seemed to tense up more. Seeing as she had an encounter with the rogue-nin from the Hidden Mist during our mission to save Gaara all those years back, I can understand her behavior.

Itachi looked through the trees, then his eyes stopped...

...and made contact with my own, for less than a second. I considered myself lucky, I could have been trapped in a genjutsu if I were any slower.

Kisame looked in the same direction, then smiled, "Well, it seems we have some young ANBU on our tails. They're only small fry, but this should cure my boredom nontheless"

In the next second, they vanished. I turned quickly to the group, "GO!!!"

Ino and I broke into one group while Tenten and Shino broke into another. Bugs flew back and forth between us as we ran through the trees. We began heading back towards Konoha, our only hope lying on the fact that maybe Itachi and Kisame had lost track of us.

Yeah, that would be as likely as Kakashi burning his Icha Icha collection and then authoring books on time management...

"Naruto, you need to get to Konoha as fast as possible!" Ino said as we jumped over the branches, increasing speed.

"No way! I'm not going to let you guys risk your hides so I can be safe from a bunch of stupid traitors!" I snapped at her.

"If they capture you, the risk will be _much_ greater than if it was just us three being in danger!"

"Well, that may be true, but it's not like you ever stood a chance in helping Naruto to begin with..." spoke a cold voice. Ino and I turned to see the figure of Itachi Uchiha running right behind us.

Ino and I jumped off the branch in time to avoid a spray of kunai. We landed on the ground, and faced the traitorous Leaf-nin.

I took a step forward, making sure to avoid his eyes, "Itachi, it's been awhile now...hasn't it?" I said with open arms, throwing off my mask. No use in trying to hinder my vision any. I stood there as the black-haired man remained motionless, "What...? I don't a get a hug or something? Did those four years apart not affect you in someway?"

"In all truth, Naruto, I don't have any concern towards you...but the results of what you've done are of significance to Akatsuki...to say you've been an obstacle to our goals is an understatement..." Itachi replied, with the usual hollow tone.

"Oh, you're breaking my heart Itachi-kun...but, I guess that we've grown apart, haven't we?" I pulled out a kunai, "Besides, I promised on your younger brother's grave that I'd defeat you. You are aware that you are the last of the Uchiha, right?"

"Not necessarily...but I am aware that you _did_ kill my younger brother...another hinderance to our plans..."

"Well, looks like I've become quite popular amongst you Akatsuki, haven't I? Think that your leader's little girlfriend, Konan, would go out with me?" I smirked. Itachi remained unphased.

"Naruto...this is your last chance. Surrender, or we _will_ use force." Itachi replied, drawing a kunai.

I nodded to Ino. She nodded back, and took a few steps back, "...Naruto..."

I sighed, and looked to Itachi. He seemed to lessen the grip on his kunai slightly, "Well...?"

I smirked, "Come and get me, you worthless piece of trash."

The two of us collided. I summoned two clones to stop Itachi's very one Shadow clone. The three Shadow clones burst into smoke, and Itachi and I jumped away from each other, forming handseals at blinding speed. In the last couple of months, Kakashi had trained me in increasing the speed of my hand seals. I owe him one for that.

"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!!" I yelled, and shot out three bursts of water capable of shattering granite from my mouth. I needed to thank Sakura for this one when I got back.

Itachi merely puffed out his chest, "Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!!"

The gigantic fireball hit the water bullets, and caused the air to explode with steam. Ino and I made a run for it, but I could sense Itachi close by.

Seconds after I felt his presence, I saw Itachi fly at me with blinding speed. I side-stepped and swung with my kunai. The missing-nin landed, and dissapeared into a cloud of smoke.

"Damn, another Shadow clone." I heard Ino say.

I another noise, and jumped to my right, avoiding another spray of kunai. Ino threw several shurikan and kunai at the location they came from, only to have them deflected by more kunai. Itachi was toying with us, and we both knew it. Then again...so was I...

'Kyuubi...I need two tails, and as fast as possible.' I said to the demon-fox.

**"Kit, don't do anything stupid...going all out isn't a good option right now..."** replied Kyuubi.

'I'm aware of that, just two, okay?' I said with a groan.

Seconds passed, and then I felt the chakra of the nine-tailed fox flow through me. Ino backed away slightly.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Ino said, realizing that my canines and nails had sharpened, and my eyes were no crimson pupils. I turned to her as my whiskers became more defined.

"Ino...I'm going to need your help, regardless if Kyuubi's lending me power." I said to the blonde. She nodded, and walked over to my side, grabbing her sword from behind her back.

Itachi landed on the ground again, "Not bad Uzumaki...you weren't using any of the Kyuubi's power, and managed to negate my fireball. Looks like you've improved on your speed as well."

We flew at each other for the second time, this time Itachi had to try and hold his ground as the dirt flew from our impact. Ino took advantage of the moment and went for a stab at Itachi's liver. However, she was stopped by a kick from one of Itachi's clones that came out of nowhere.

I grabbed a hold of Itachi's wrist, and quickly pulled him towards me as I crashed my knee into his stomach. To someone who would have been watching, it happened in half a second's time. Itachi coughed up blood, but then elbowed me in the ribs.

"Ino!" I cried out. Ino quickly jumped up fromt the ground and threw a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it. Itachi jumped up to avoid it, and the explosion erupted, lighting up the area for a few seconds.

Ino and I hid behind the trees to avoid the heat and impact of the explosion. After the smoke cleared, Ino turned towards the giant crater, "That explosive tag was designed to take out platoons of ninja...if he did get caught in it...he's dead." Ino spoke.

"He's still alive...you and I both know it." I replied, flexing my claws, "We need to find Shino and Tenten and regroup."

As if on cue, the two said shinobi appeared, however, Tenten appeared unconcious. Shino looked at us, his kikaichu beetles flying around the group in a protective manner, "Tenten's been kncocked out...but we managed to poison Kisame. He'll be dead within the next ten minutes if he doesn't have the proper antidote for the poison that I had injected into him."

"We're not in the clear yet," I said to the bug-user, "we still have a weasel to worry about."

"Too late..." spoke the Uchiha. I felt an impact in the small of my back, and slammed into a tree. I slowly got up, calling forth more chakra. Itachi slowly walked towards me, "Stop wasting your chakra, Uzumaki. You're only prolonging your defeat..." the black haired man said in a cold tone.

"Heh, haven't you heard? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the shinobi of the Leaf who doesn't know when to quit...you'll have to beat me into submission before I even consider defeat." I smirked, and created two shadow clones. I placed a palm upwards, and the two clones began to make spiraling motions into my open palm.

"Not this time." I heard Itachi say, and I felt the air escape my lungs. I felt a fist connect to my face, but I quickly grabbed it and headbutted Itachi. He let out a breath, and I heard a body fall to the ground.

"See, _never_ underestimate me." I spoke, only to see the Itachi before me dissapear, again.

"Not again!" I spoke, felt myself get pushed into a tree. I let out another breath, tasted the metallic blood in my mouth.

Itachi seemed a little haggard, judging from his breathing. I couldn't help but grin, but he spoke, "I can tell you're a rookie ANBU...you continue to challenge me when it's hopeless...you're weak Naruto...just like my brother was...still, we needed him for reasons I wish not disclose with you..." I felt him grasp my neck and lift me off the ground, holding me against the tree.

Kyuubi roared in my mind, **"Don't look into his eyes, whatever you do, not even for a second!"**

I knew what the fox was talking about. Itachi had activated the Mangekyou Sharingan, and I felt him boring a hole into my closed eyes. If I let him get me to make eye contact, then I was screwed. Then I suddenly had an idea...it was a risk, but given the circumstances...

"You can't escape my eyes Naruto...now give up..." said the Uchiha.

I ignored him, "Kyuubi..." I spoke out loud. I needed one more tail for my idea.

**"Fine...but don't waste this chakra...only as much as needed."** Kyuubi replied, answering my wordless plea.

A third tail burst into existence, and I felt the grip around my throat tighten, "Here's a new plan Itachi..._you_ give up!" I gripped his arm, and sent chakra through his arms. He groaned in pain as the chakra began to burn his skin, but his grip remained firm.

"Parasitic Insects Jutsu!" I heard Shino yell. I opened one eye a little to see a black cloud flying at Itachi. He merely turned and blew a cloud of fire, disentegrating his attackers. Shino didn't pause as he quickly pulled out a kunai. I heard Ino get up and join as well.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu..." spoke the Uchiha. Within seconds, Ino and Shino were down and gasping for air. Itachi had struck them both in the chest, however, Shino seemed to be in worse condition, seeing that he was coughing up blood.

"Shino, Ino, take Tenten and get out of of-ack!" I felt my throat tighten.

"Sorry Uzumaki...you lose. This won't kill you, but I promise it won't be painless either." with that said, Itachi opened my right eye and I made eye contact with his crimson irises.

"Damn you...Itachi..." I said as my mind began to blur, seeing the Tsukoyomi take effect on me.

"Naruto!!!" was the last thing I heard, which sounded like the voice of Ino.

**end of Chap.15- Can you say 'cliffhanger'? Sorry, but this is as far as I go for the chapter. Don't worry the next one will be up in due time, so the wait won't be too long. Consider this a chance to...um...make a sandwich? Well, hope you liked the chapter, I know, not the best at writing fight scenes, but I try. Anyways, R&R, and the next chapter will be up soon enough.**

**now for my shout-outs...I owe this idea to Yosoo: XWY (wow, I appreciate how you've reviewed almost every chapter, even after that HUGE gap in between. Glad you like my story thus far. As for the updating, I guess it helps to have a notebook to write this all in.) IronicEnding (thanks for your input on Naruto and his reaction Sakura's feelings. I was trying to show that while he had matured, he still believes that he shouldn't have to ask others for help, and that he can take care of his own problems. As for the rushed ending, yes, I intended for that. I wasn't up to writing out another filler. Well, hopefully this chapter was good for you as well. Thanks again for your reviews!) mangalover248 (lol, yeah, I agree. Romances in Naruto fanfics can be hard from not being all happy-go-lucky, since it's hard to sometimes write negative aspects of Naruto and Sakura's relationship. They seem perfect for each other, so it's hard to make them have flaws alot of the time. I do like a story though that shows these 'problems'; like you said, it makes things more realistic.)**

**And to everyone else who's continued reviewing and reading, thanks for your continued support!**


	17. This Isn't Real!

**Disclaimer: Hey everyone, we got another guest to do our disclaimer today!**

**Shikamaru: Man, you've got to be-**

**Denim88: Just do it, already.**

**Shikamaru: Fine...Denim88 doesn't own Naruto because...oh come on, do I have to say it?**

**Denim88: (Pulls out pencil) Damn it, I'll revive Tayuya if you don't!**

**Shikamaru: ...Denim88 doesn't own Naruto because he's pretty sure he wouldn't be able to make Hinata so adorably...cute...**

**Denim88: Thanks Shikamaru, I appreciate it.**

**Shikamaru: You owe me.**

**Denim88: I'll give you a daughter if I make a sequel.**

**Shikamaru: Whatever, I'm out of here...**

**Chap.16: This Isn't Real!**

**(Ino's P.O.V)**

I got up from Itachi's attack by his clone only to see Naruto being pinned to a tree by Itachi. He had Naruto by the neck, and was literally lifting him up off the ground. How, though? Naruto had released three of his four possible tails! Was Itachi seriously that powerful. Naruto had his eyes closed, and was desperately trying to avoid eye contact with the Uchiha.

Suddenly, Itachi growled in pain, and I noticed one of his arms being burned by Naruto's chakra. I couldn't help but smile, the idiot was truly as stubborn as Sakura says he is. However, I knew that Naruto had little time before he would be in deep trouble. I grabbed my kunai and prepared to attack when I saw Itachi force open Naruto's left eye. Oh no...

"Naruto!!" I yelled. The blonde immediately stopped struggling, and Itachi decided at the moment to slam a kunai into the boys shoulder, and thus crippling the boy's arm, which dropped limply to his side, which in turn stopped Naruto's attack on Itachi's burning arm. This all happened in a matter of seconds.

"Shino, Itachi's got Naruto!" I spoke as I ran to attack.

Before I could do anything though, I heard Itachi whisper, "What the-?"

The dark haired man dropped to the ground, as well as Naruto. Itachi was gripping his head, and growling out in pain. The growling became more fierce, and soon he was yelling out in pain. I remained in place, unsure what to do.

"Something went wrong with the Tsukuyomi." I heard Shino say, bugs ready to attack.

Itachi eventually stopped, and was gasping for air. He was back to his normal Sharingan, and was staring fiercely at Naruto, "What did that damn Jinchuuriki do to me?" he asked himself. He then turned to us, and returned to his expressionless face, "You may have stopped us from capturing Uzumaki today...but you won't be so successful next time." and with that, he dissapeared.

Shino quickly sent some bugs out, and a minute later they returned. Shino growled in agitation, "Itachi must have found Kisame, because I my bugs couldn't find either of him...Kisame may still live after all."

I heard a groan from behind us, and saw Tenten slowly move around, "She's waking up...but I better check to she has a concussion..." I bent down next to her, and with my chakra sensed that she had just been knocked out. I let out a sigh of relief, thankful that no damage had been done to her head. I can thank Tsunade for teaching me some medical jutsu during the last few years.

I looked over to the tree where Naruto lay. He was convulsing a little...that couldn't be good. If we didn't do something fast, things could get worse, and Sakura would _not_ be happy with me. I gave her my word as her friend not to let Naruto go and be reckless.

Shino decided to speak upon noticing Naruto's state, "That's odd...the Tsukuyomi shouldn't last for more than a few seconds at most...we'll at least in our perspective it shouldn't..." he added the ending comment, knowing Naruto had probably already experienced at least forty-eight our of hell, if not more. Kakashi once told me of what happened when he was mentally tortured by Itachi for seventy-two hours...I cringed at the thought of it alone. Naruto may be tough, but he wasn't the toughest person when it came to psychological attacks. Naruto himself was mediocre when it came to genjutsu, and only a bit better when it came to breaking through illusions.

I quickly applied my limited healing abilities to Naruto's shoulder where a very deep wound had been inflicted when Itachi had stabbed his shoulder. Naruto would heal eventually, thanks to the Kyuubi. I never actually meet the fox, but according to Sakura, who had meet the Kyuubi, the great and powerful demon had 'softened up' thanks to Naruto. Long story short, the Kyuubi had developed a sense of attachment to us mortals that were friends of Naruto.

I racked my brain as I tried to figure out what had happened. Itachi had stopped in the middle of his technique, and began to clutch his head in pain. Could it be that...Naruto had managed to somehow stop the technique? It was unheard of; the Tsukuyomi was _the_ ultimate genjutsu, and had yet to be broken by anyone.

I lifted Naruto onto my shoulders, and heard a groan escape his lips. He was still unconcious, but I think that he may have a chance. I turned to Shino and a now awake Tenten, "Call me crazy, but I think that Naruto may have found a way to reflect the Tsukuyomi's effects back at Itachi...or something like that." I said as we jumped into the trees, heading towards Konoha.

Tenten looked at me like I was crazy, "Reflect the Tsukuyomi? That's impossible. It happens within the blink of an eye in most cases, and attacks the victim's mind relentlessly...are you sure. I mean, this is Naruto. Genjutsu isn't a strong point of his."

I shook my head, "I don't know... but Itachi stopped after he cast the genjutsu, and then started to experience severe pain, and he was gripping his head the whole time. I don't know what else to say. I didn't attack him, and neither did Shino."

"Well, whatever the case, we have to get Naruto back to Konoha before he goes comatose...which can still happen, regardless of if he broke the illusion or not."

I nodded, and looked to my teammate slung on my shoulders.

_Hang in there Naruto, we're not giving up on you...don't you give up on yourself!_

**(Itachi's P.O.V)**

I sat down, trying to calm my pounding heart and get rid of the splitting headache I was now having.

_What the hell happened back there?_

I looked at Kisame, who was now recovering after I gave him the proper antidote to the poison that the weapon girl and Aburame boy had used on him.

Kisame looked over to me, and handed me an empty vial, "Thanks."

I said nothing, but took the vial and put it back into my cloak. Kisame had been reckless, but so had I...

"What happened, Itachi?" Kisame asked as slowly got up, leaning on Samehada as he did so. It would take a few seconds for the antidote to fully kick in.

I looked at the night sky, and felt my vision blur for a few seconds. Damn, it wasn't getting any better. That Uzumaki boy had forced me to use my Mangekyou after almost four years of keeping myself from doing so. I would be going blind soon if it got any worse.

I shook my head to Kisame's question, "I'm not sure...the Tsukuyomi worked on Naruto, but he somehow found a way to deflect some of it back at me."

"Hm...sounds like something that the Kyuubi would be involved in." replied Kisame.

I shook my head, "No...well, maybe. However, I sensed...something else at work...it felt...familiar. I saw a set of burning eyes, but then the eyes changed to...a different pair of eyes...I don't know what they exactly looked like though."

Kisame gave me a look, "Eyes huh?" he let out a sigh, "I'll never get you, Itachi."

"The boy can use five tails now..." I said, ignoring his smirk, "However, I don't think he has full control of this new power yet. Needless to say, it may prove to be a problem."

Kisame stopped his smirking at this, "What?"

I nodded, "I managed to get a glimpse of his mind...and used his thoughts to torment him. This was just a fact that I stumbled upon before he attacked back." I rubbed my temples, "I also have some information on a way we might get to the boy...without attacking him."

Kisame grinned, "Really? How is that?"

I paused, trying to recall the name I stumbled upon in his subconcious, "It was...a girl...she is close to him..." I thought for a few seconds, trying to remember. Then it clicked.

"Sakura Haruno."

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I snapped open my eyes, and immediately noticed the dark chambers of Kyuubi's cell. The ground was wet...yep, definitely Kyuubi's cell, "Kyuubi, you here?"

I saw one eye visibly open, and then saw the face of the demon-fox mere inches from my own, **"Yeah...you allright?"**

I shrugged my shoulders in response, and got up to stretch. I then turned to the Bijuu, "What exactly did we do?"

**"We weakened Itachi's Tsukuyomi, and then threw a bit of it back at him."** he then narrowed his eyes, indicating some hesitancy,** "At least, that's my guess."**

I ran a hand through my hair and groaned. Of course, the Tsukuyomi, how could I forget? Itachi was good a tormenting his enemies, I'll give him that. If it wasn't for whatever I had done to stop it, I may be going insane right now. However, what I had imagined really got me scared, since it probably could be worst thing to possibly happen in my life, if it actually did.

**Flashback**

I opened my eyes, and saw a blood red moon and sky above me. It seemed so real...yet how?

I looked around, and noticed I was surrounded by people. I looked harder to see that these people all looked alike...they were all Itachi Uchiha. I felt myself being held by something. After I looked at both my arms and legs, I realized I was strapped to a cross. Oh no, I remember Kakashi telling me of this...

"Na...Naruto..."

I looked to my immediate left, and saw what appeared to be...no, it couldn't be...

"Kakashi-sensei...?"

"We...couldn't beat him..." spoke the Jonin, referring to Itachi.

"We?" I repeated.

Kakashi nodded, and turned to indicate the others on crosses like me. Among them was Shikamaru, Neji, Gaara, Hinata, Rin, Jiraiya, Tsunade, as well as many others. I was terrified. I came to a startling realization...everyone I held dear was here with me...everyone.

"Naruto...?"

I turned to my right, and saw a sight I didn't want to see...

"No...no..." I repeated, looking at the one person I especially wouldn't have wanted to see her, "...Sakura-chan..."

"I'm...sorry...we just weren't strong enough."

I was about to speak when a cold voice cut in, "This world is mine to control..."

I turned to see one of the many Itachi's glaring at me, "Bastard, let them go!" I screamed, tears stinging my eyes.

Itachi didn't even flinch, "For the next seventy-two hours, I will kill everyone you hold dear...ever last one of them..."

I didn't even have time to react as I saw I sword plunge into the neck of Jiraiya. He didn't even have time to yell. Then went Tsunade, who was stabbed by two swords in the heart.

"S-stop!!! Stop it!!!" I screamed, but the Uchiha completely ignored me.

I looked to see Hinata and Neji die as they were slashed across the stomachs. I felt ready to vomit, but remained strong. No, this can't be happening. Itachi then proceeded to Shikamaru, who looked to Temari right next to him. He had tears in his eyes, and Temari was bawling.

"Shika!" she screamed as her fiance coughed up blood from a fatal stab in the stomach. Itachi wasted no time and had two of his many beings stab her in the mid-section. She tried to continue screaming, but fell limp.

"You cold-blooded monster!!! Stop it!" I heard the voice of Ino say. Itachi silenced her, and then took care of Chouji as well, who tried to break free of his restraints, threatening to kill the Uchiha.

"No...s-stop..." I said, feeling as though my very heart had been ripped to shreds. My friends and family were dying, and I could do nothing!

Then came Gaara. His head hung low. As Itachi walked over to him, Gaara raised his head to look at me, "Naruto...I'm sor-"

He had no chance to finish, for a sword to the throat prevented further speech.

"GAARA!!!" I screamed. This couldn't be happening! It just couldn't!!!

After what seemed like an eternity, which Itachi had informed me had been close to forty-six hours, he walked over to Rin. Kakashi took this moment to scream at the man who had already killed so many dear to him, "Itachi, stop! Don't kill her, please, I beg of you!"

I looked wide-eyed at my sensei...Kakashi...begging?

"Please, take me instead, just spare her...please!"

Itachi merely turned and disembowled Rin, and that set off the trigger, "NO!!! RIN!!! NO!!!"

Itachi looked at the destroyed man in front of him, "Kakashi...this time, you won't live through this..."

A total of fifteen swords went through the silver haired Jonin. He cried out, and turned to me slowly as the swords quickly pulled out of him, "Na-Naru...to..."

He slumped over, and I heard Sakura scream his name. I watched as Itachi walked past me, and right to Sakura...no...not her!

"Sakura-chan!!!!" I screamed.

Sword after sword slashed at her abdomen. I felt the blood hit my face, but I could care less; Sakura was being killed right before my eyes!!!

Sakura remained silent, her eyes held in a permanent stare of shock and terror.

_This...this isn't real..._

Itachi then turned to me, and went towards Iruka and Anko...

"Forty-seven hours have passed, twenty-five remain." spoke the cold voice of Itachi Uchiha.

_This __**isn't **__real!_

"Twenty-four hours remain..."

"_**This isn't real!!!!"**_ I screamed with raw emotion.

The sky above began to crack, and Itachi turned to me with a hint of bewilderment. I looked into his eyes, and he suddenly fell over as his replicas vanished.

Suddenly I found myself inside the Kyuubi's lair, and a large hand of chakra quickly grabbed me and pulled me in. I felt all nine-tails of the fox wrap around me protectively.

**"Kit, don't move!!!" **I heard the voice of the demon-fox yell. I saw the figure of Itachi standing in front of the cage, gripping his head in pain. Kyuubi roared an unearthly sound, and I saw Itachi get thrown back, and go straight through the entrance to the chamber.

"Kyuubi...?" I said, desperately trying to breath.

**"It's okay...it's over..."** the demon fox replied, unraveling his tails, and letting me breath.

I then passed out from exhaustion.

_It wasn't real..._

**end of Flashback**

I looked back up to the demon-fox, "Thanks..."

**"I wouldn't have been able to do anything if you hadn't realized that it was all an illusion...I just found an opening and punched through it...however...I don't think it was my power alone."** Kyuubi replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked the giant fox. He simply shook his head, unsure of what he meant.

**"Regardless, I don't think Itachi enjoyed the genjutsu I threw back at him..." **Kyuubi said with a mild grin.

"What did you do to him?"

Kyuubi smirked, **"I had him go through a whole day of being burned away in my stomach..."**

I nodded, "Well...thanks Kyuubi."

I recieved a nod from my Bijuu, **"Just take it easy for awhile. You just survived one of the most powerful genjutsus ever known to the shinobi world...and you're in a healthy mental state."**

I gave the fox a grin, and woke up to the the ceiling of Konoha hospital. Ugh, if I could ever find a way to avoid that glare of the blinding light, that would definitely do wonders for me...

"Well, looks who's finally awake." said a voice from my left. I turned to see a bandaged up Tenten, smiling as she sat up a bit.

"Heh, sorry for the scare Tenten. I'm fine." I replied, grinning sheepishly. A little known fact was that she was the worry-wart of our ANBU team.

She nodded, then frowned a bit, "How do you do it, Naruto?"

"Do what?"

She pointed to my shoulder, where a rather nasty scar was, which in about another day would be completely gone, free of charge by Kyuubi.

"Um...don't you remember how me and Kyuubi work togeth-"

"Yes, but that's not what I'm talking about, Naruto." she interrupted. It was know common knowledge with all of my friends that I housed the Kyuubi. To say I was happy when they still accepted me the same was the understatement of the year. Hinata especially gave me recognition, further acknowledging me as the strongest person she knows. As for Tenten, it didn't change her opinion of me much aside for that she had more respect due to what I had put up with. She did however, still beat me up from time to time during missions, but claimed it was because our ANBU family of four saw me as 'the younger brother of the group that didn't know what was good for him'.

I looked at the wound, and gave her a confused look, "Then what _are_ you talking about?"

She gave me a groan, "How do you put up with so much pain...not just physically, but, psychologically...Ino told me that she thinks you broke through the Tsukuyomi." I could tell that even though she was annoyed at my dense behavior, which was a facade, and she knew it, she still deeply cared for all of us.

I gave the brown haired kunoichi a smile; she truly was the big sister figure in the team, "Well, when you fight for those who are precious to you, it's easy to take anything that's thrown at you. Pain is a small price to pay when it comes to me protecting my friends..." I replied.

Tenten shook her head, "Geez, Naruto, this is the fifth time in the last two months that you've ended up in the hospital from something like this."

She was right. I had ended up in the hospital a few times already because I was reckless, or I took attacks that were intended for my team. Still, as I said before, pain was a small price to pay for keeping them safe.

"Hey, Naruto...?" I heard the girl across from me say.

"Yeah, Tenten?"

She smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back, "I'm glad you're on my team...you truly are a great shinobi. I want to let you know that from here on out, I will fully support your dream of being Hokage."

"...Tenten..."

"Heh, don't go and get all sappy on me now. Neji's told me of how great you are, and I can see where he's coming from. Konoha is in safe hands." she replied with a thumbs up, followed by a twinkling smile.

"You just gave the 'Nice Guy' pose." I said, snickering.

Tenten suddenly realized her actions, then slapped her forehead, "Darn Lee and Gai-sensei...rubbing off on me."

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." I laughed.

Just then, the door opened, and Shino, Ino, Sakura, and Tsunade walked in.

"Hey everbody." I greeted with a wave.

Sakura was first to speak, "You okay...?"

I looked at my still wounded shoulder, "I've had worse."

"Well, you four technically didn't complete the mission all the way through..." Tsunade said to Tenten, Shino, Ino, and me, "...but you guys did find out that the Rock-nin did try to get into Konoha, and that it _was_ a planned attack. So, I guess I can give you half of the mission payment." she gave us all a stern look, "Still, we are now aware that Akatsuki is up and active again...we'll have to alert the Niju Shotai about this. I'm giving you four the rest of the week off," she then turned to me, "and I expect you all to use it to rest. Understood?"

The four of us nodded and affirmative, and Tsunade left to gather the council, saying that she wasn't looking forward to the bickering. I then turned to Shino, who appeared to be carrying something in a paper bag. Then I smelled something...something heavenly...

"Naruto, I figured you wouldn't be eating any hospital food, so I got you some ramen. Don't let anyone else know though...it was a big enough trouble having Sakura let me bring it in here." Shino spoke, handing me some Ichiraku carryout.

"Haha, thanks, Shino!" I said, and opened the carryout, snapped the chopsticks and with a heartfelt "Itadakimasu!" dug into the wonderful meal known as ramen.

Shino left after a polite good-bye, and Ino soon left with Tenten after Sakura had cleared her from the hospital. Now it was just me and Sakura in the room.

"You were out for a whole day, I was worried for a minute that we'd have to go throuh another episode like we did about almost three years ago." Sakura said with a sign of relief evident in her voice.

"I wouldn't mind that...I haven't seen Inner-Sakura for awhile now...not for at least three weeks."I said with giant smirk.

Sakura couldn't help but smile, but then turned serious, "Naruto, I'm not kidding. You gave me quite the scare when Ino told me that you guys had a run-in with Kisame and Itachi. I had assumed the worse..."

"Hey, I'm okay, see? It will take more than just a kunai to the shoulder and the seeing you-" I cut myself off, not wanting to let her know what happened in Itachi's genjutsu.

"Seeing me what, Naruto?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow, and taking a seat on my bed.

"Nothing Sakura...just the painkillers talking for me. Heh heh..." I answered, knowing full well she was already aware of my attempt to cover up the incident.

"...Naruto...remember what I asked of you?" she said, grabbing my hand and gently squeezing it.

A pained look crossed her face, and I sighed. I remember...I promised to trust her, no matter what. I let her lie down beside me in the hospital bed, "You wouldn't want to hear it, Sakura. That's all. I trust you, but I don't want you to worry."

She put her head against mine, and let her hand go over my scarred chest, where the wound from Sasuke's Chidori remained; the only scar I never let Kyuubi heal, to serve as a memento of what I promised to Sakura, "Naruto...I want to hear it anyway. How many times have you heard me cry, with me knowing you didn't like to see me like that? Well, now I'm hear, and I'll listen to you, regardless of what happened, or how much it hurts you to say to me..." she gave me a determined, yet sincere look.

How could I deny that look? Well, here it goes, "Sakura...Itachi knows about you and me...and our relationship." I replied, "He...he has all the information he needs to get to me now...no doubt that Akatsuki will be here to make me surrender. If I don't...then they get me to through you..."

Sakura went quiet, but then let her face turn into a smile, "That's okay. This time, I'll fight with you. I let you go alone before to fight Sasuke, twice actually, but not this time. Not against Itachi. He's not going to take you from me. None of them will." she spoke with an almost inhuman determination in her voice. I smiled back, she rarely was like this, despite being as powerful of a kunoichi that she is. She wasn't a fighter, and I knew that. However, any smart ninja in Konoha knew better than to get between Sakura Haruno and the ones she cares about.

I let out a ragged breath, "That damn Uchiha, he caught me in the Tsukuyomi, and attacked me in the worse way; through all of my friends. I...I watched them all die, Sakura, and..." I tried to hold back my flood gates, "...Ero-sannin was first to go, then Tsunade-baachan...and, and, I was only able to watch! Then he...he killed Rin-neechan, and Kakashi-sensei, and then...he..." I let a sob out, "...He ripped you apart, Sakura...it was horrible!!!" I held her, suddenly remembering the genjutsu as though it was an actual memory of mine, "He made Kakashi-sensei _beg_, Sakura! _BEG!_ He begged for Itachi to spare Rin-neechan for his own life. Oh...Sakura, it was horrible."

Sakura held me close. I felt so ashamed for this, yet I couldn't help it, "Naruto, no one's dead. I'm here, I'm alive. I don't plan on it anytime soon either, okay? You still have to become Hokage before that happens to me, otherwise no one will keep you from making a spelling error on your messages to Gaara when you want to hold meetings with him." she managed to joke. I laughed despite the mood I was in.

I eventually fell into an uneasy sleep, and Sakura said that she would return in the morning to clear me from the hospital.

I found myself standing before the cage of the Kyuubi again,which was strange. He usually waited until I was fully healed from missions before he decided to call for me, "Kyuubi, what's wrong?"

I heard an unearthly yawn, "What are you talking about? I didn't summon you..."

"Well, then why am I here?"

"_I _called you here..." came a hauntingly familiar voice.

I slowly turned around, and my heart nearly skipped a beat. Wait, I take that back, it did. The owner of the voice standing behind me sent a wave of surprise and shock throughout my entire subconcious being. I fell over in shock, facing a person I _never _expected to see...

I opened my mouth and uttered their name, still not believing it, "S-Sasuke???"

**end of chap. 16: Oh yeah! Sucker punch from the dark!!! Didn't see that coming, did you?! Howaah! Er...right. Well, I hope that was entertaining for you to read, and now you're probably all like 'What? OH NO HE DIDN'T!!' Guess what, I did! If you even know what I did...maybe if you looked underneath the underneath in the chapter, you may have saw this coming. Well, an update shall come in due time! Review for super bonus points and an extra life!**

**shout out no jutsu: XWY (Heheh, nah, Ino's got eyes only for Chouji...but I like the idea of her being the watchful eyes for Sakura while Naruto's on a mission. After all, if you recall in one of the previous chapters in the story, I think it was the one before Shikamaru proposes to Temari, that Naruto states that being a couple with Sakura means he in turn becomes friends with Ino. Ino even states that if Naruto should do anything stupid to Sakura, he'll have to answer to the blonde girl. Ulp! Thanks for the review!) IronicEnding (Glad you thought my fight scene was okay. I'm more of a author who focuses on character development and storyline than action, but every great Naruto fanfic has to have **_**some**_** sort of fighting. Oh, and just to let you know, I like making cliffhangers, i.e. the last line of the above chapter, lol.) DarknesstoLight (I'm glad you like how I tried to tie this story somewhat with the original. I have to admit, I don't think I'll ever come close to making a good fiction that can outdo Masashi Kishimoto, but I try to keep my readers entertained. I seriously will admit, I know little about Konan and Pein's abilities. If you know anything about that aside from Pein's abilities to sense chakra in the rain and Konan's gift with paper, I'd appreciate it if you could let me know.)**

**While I'm at it, if anyone could let me know the abilities of Tobi (yes, I know he holds the Sharingan as well), Pein, Konan, and Zetsu, I would appreciate it. I know a little about their basic talents, but I have no clue if they have any specific attacks...you know, like Kisame's Water Shark Jutsu or Itachi's Amaterasu...just wondering if you could help an author in need. Now don't go and kill yourself in research for me, I will do that, I just want anything you just happen to know about the remaining Akatsuki members. Thanks!**


	18. Recovery

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...sorry, couldn't think of anything clever. Maybe I'll make a songfic in the story to make up for it (I'm kidding, don't scream in terror)...than again, I have always wanted to do a scene of Naruto singing Eric Clapton's 'Change The World' to Sakura in some little night club while strumming on a guitar...you know what...I think I might just do it! **

**Chap.17: Recovery**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I looked at the person standing in front of me inside my mindscape. I person that I had watched die...a person that I had killed...

"S-Sasuke??" I said again as I slowly got up, not taking my eyes off the figure for a second

"Hn, score one for Naruto. Glad you still recognize me." spoke my deceased comrade and rival.

I slowly rubbed my eyes. I looked at Kyuubi, who for the first time in years looked...confused. The last time he gave such a look was when I first asked for chakra from the great demon-fox.

"Sasuke, is that really you?" I asked, walking over to my long dead friend. He hadn't changed a bit since I last saw him...three years ago, if not longer. He still had the Otogakure sound wardrobe on, and still had his sword strapped to his back. However, I smiled upon seeing a major part of him missing...he was free of a curse mark on his left shoulder.

Sasuke smirked, "What's the matter, this too much for you to take in at once?"

I frowned, "Well, aside from this being the second time I find you inside my mind, no." I replied sarcastically.

He sighed, then looked up at his surroundings, "I see it hasn't changed much. I don't remember those two fox statues being there though..."

"Huh?" I turned to the cage where Kyuubi was,then smiled as I noticed the two stone statues that depicted nine-tailed foxes howling, "Oh...a little gift to Kyuubi when I became an ANBU. He trained me in some ways, so I gave him those in return...they make the place seem a bit more like a shrine I guess. I figured I might as well give him _some_ respect for what he's done for me."

Kyuubi rolled his eyes, then sent a look of anger towards the Uchiha, **"Uchiha...why are you here?"**

Uchiha stood straight before the demon fox and nodded, "Right...well, when we fought all those years back, I used more jutsus then you probably saw. This..." he paused to refer to himself, "...is the result of a soul transfer technique I learned from reading one of Orochimaru's scrolls..." He turned to me, and seeing that I understood, continued, "Originally, I was going to use it against Orochimaru before he planned on taking my body. I would have destroyed him from the inside out...but then I learned it had other uses as well, like this one you see being used. I'm communicating with you even after I 'died'...so to speak."

"So...you're not dead?" I asked him, and he shook his head.

"No, no, I _am_ dead...but my soul is staying contained inside of your body instead of 'passing away' as the call it. I can scan your memories, and provide some of my strength as well. That's why I used this jutsu on you; my work isn't finished..."

**"Not finished? So, you plan to take over Naruto then?"** growled Kyuubi as he let some chakra begin to leak out.

"Easy, easy...I never intended for that...besides, I can't possess my opponents while I'm in this state. If I were alive, that would be a different story. I could actually kill someone if my body was still alive. I won't go into specifics, but just know that the technique is complicated and I can only do the things that I said before..." Sasuke said as he backed away from an approaching claw of chakra.

Kyuubi leered at the boy, but nodded, drawing his chakra back into the cage.

"What do you mean by 'my work isn't finished'?" I asked as Sasuke turned to me.

"I'm going to help you defeat Akatsuki." he replied with a shrug, "That's the main reason I'm here right now, I made it so this jutsu would be triggered by another jutsu when I transferred my soul into you."

"What would that trigger be?" I asked.

Kyuubi however, let out a growl of understanding, **"Hmmm...Tsukuyomi..."**

"Precisely. This jutsu can break apart the genjutsu enough for a victim to release themselves from the illusion's bind on the mind. It looks like you two already had that covered though." Sasuke said with a nod.

"Yeah, it wasn't pretty though...say, you were the other force that Kyuubi sensed when he broke through the Tsukuyomi, weren't you?" I added, realizing just how deep all of this was.

"Correct...and I know what you mean with the whole breaking through thing...you're lucky to be stable right now...you are as of right now the only person I know of that has broken the Tsukuyomi." answered the Uchiha, "That's why I'm here."

"What would that be?" I inquired.

Sasuke smirked again, "I'm going to teach you how to fight against the Sharingan...while maintaining eye contact...and not being beaten."

**"I still don't trust you entirely."** Kyuubi said with a swishing of his tails.

"Well, I hope to change that then, because I'll be in here until this crisis is stopped...however..." Sasuke's voice grew deadly serious as he turned to me, "Naruto, you must not let anyone know I'm inside you. If that information somehow finds a way to Akatsuki, we'll be in for even more trouble than you're already in.

"What do you mean by that, Sasuke?" I asked. This was starting to give me a headache.

"...Itachi isn't the only living Uchiha." replied Sasuke, "...if they find out my soul's inside of you, you'll be hunted down even more so than you already are."

I gave him a nod letting him know I understood.

"You can't even let Sakura know..." he added, with a hint of a smile.

"Hey, are you taunting me? I'll have you know I'm technically older than you!" It was true. I was staring at the body of a sixteen year old Sasuke while I was now eighteen and some odd months.

"Yeah, but I've matured mentally during those three years. Just because I never showed myself to you doesn't mean I was dormant inside of your mind...I just remained hidden, so to speak." he commented, "Oh, by the way, congratulations on having Sakura help you lose your virgi-"

"Enough!!!" I said, a blush crossing my face. Sasuke was actually laughing though, which was a complete surprise to me. I couldn't help but smile. He hardly laughed at all in the years I knew him.

**"So, Uchiha, what exactly is your plan to help us defeat Akatsuki and your brother?**

Sasuke looked to the fox, then to me, "It's not going to be fun...I'll be messing around with your thoughts, and you'll be combating against me in this state of mind, sort of like how you fight against Kyuubi when you 'spar'."

"That could be dangerous though, right?" I added.

"...do you think Itachi would care if it was?" Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes.

**"He's got a point, Kit."** Kyuubi said in agreement.

I looked at Sasuke, "Okay...I'll go with it...just how exactly will this work?"

Sasuke thought for a moment, "Well, I don't _have_ the Mangekyou Sharingan, but since I'm already inside of your mind, I can probably pull off the same effects with my Sharingan. Half of the Tsukuyomi involves eye contact anyways."

"What about the Amaterasu?" I asked.

Sasuke gave another brief moment to think, then looked at me, "I'll think about that one...using it requires alot of charka...probably more than Tsukuyomi. However, I can give it a try."

"Well then, let's get to this training!" I said, getting into a battle stance.

Sasuke's eyes flared to their crimson red, and I saw the Sharingan swirl to life, "Heh, that's what I hoped for."

"Great to see you again, Sasuke..." I said as we charged at each other.

I awoke with a mild headache. Man, Sasuke really wasn't kidding about the training. I felt completely fine, but at the same time it felt real as can be. I looked to my side to see Hinata wrapping a strip of gauze around my shoulder.

"Hinata?"

The Hyuuga heiress jumped in surprise, "Oh, Naruto! S-sorry, hope I didn't wake you."

I sat up slowly, only to be pushed back down, "Hey, what gives, Hinata."

Hinata gave me a look that I was starting to get used to from the medics in the hospital, namely Sakura, Ino, Rin, Shizune, and Tsunade, "You know that you can't sit up in your current state."

"Hinata, Kyuubi completely healed the wound's interior. I'm fine..." I said with a frown.

Hinata tapped her foot, and gave me a grin that promised pain, "_Naruto-kun, do you want to see just how strong my Byakugan's gotten?_" she asked in a terrifingly quiet voice. Sakura had trained Hinata well in all aspects of the medical field, including getting the patient to cooperate.

I merely put my head back down on the pillow as she smiled happily. Poor Kiba...

After she finished filing the daily report on me, she sat down next to me in a chair, "Um...Naruto...can I ask you a question? It's about Kiba..."

"What did the moron do this time?" I asked.

She laughed, "Oh, nothing's wrong...well not in a horribly bad way at least."

I raised an eyebrow, "Oh...so what exactly do you need _help _with?" I smirked, seeing her blush.

"Well...um, I want advice...more or less..." she took in a deep breath, "Do you think I should propose to Kiba? I mean, usually the man will do that in a relationship, b-but...I just feel that I'm ready to ask. The only reason I haven't yet is well, you know how Kiba is with his pride. I don't want to offend him at all."

I soaked in all that Hinata had just said, and then thought about it. I felt honored that the heiress of the Hyuuga clan trusted me on such a personal level, and even happier to see that she wanted to share her life with someone. I smiled brightly at her, "Well, I don't see how that could be a bad thing to propose. I'm sure Kiba would be happy that you feel like that towards him, and I'm almost positive he feels the same towards you, Hinata." I said honestly. She gave me a hopeful look; wow, she really does love Kiba. My smile only grew, those two were made for each other.

"So...how's your family feel about Kiba?" I asked, hoping that things weren't shaky family-wise.

Hinata gave me a smile, "Father says that with me becoming the new head of the clan in the following years that he wishes for me to start exercising some authority. One aspect that he said I should start governing is my personal life."

"The clan council isn't bothered by it?" I asked, amazed by how easy it sounded.

Hinata continued to smile at me, "Well, if you must know, Father has changed his view on things over the past few years..."

"Really? In what ways?" I asked, now fully interested.

"Well," she started while pulling the sheets over me and fluffing my pillow, "he actually had the council 'reformed'."

"Meaning..." I said, not sure what was meant by 'reformed'.

"He pretty much let go of half of its members that he saw as bent on the old ways of 'superiority' and all the snobbish behavior of the clan. He then kept those supporting reform in the council, and replaced the other half with new members...some even from the cadet branch." she replied with joy present in her voice.

"He can do that??" I asked. This certainly made things easier for when I became Hokage, seeing as I told Neji I would personally see that the Hyuuga clan was changed.

Hinata nodded, "Father's starting to change for the better. After the Chunin exams all those years back when he saw me fight Neji, then you beat Neji in the finals later, Father began to realize that times were indeed changing. His opinion of me also began to change after that. He let Neji train with me, and taught me as well. He now feels comfortable with the fact that I will be inheriting his place in the clan."

"How does he feel about Kiba though?"

Hinata laughed at this, "He said, and I quote, 'The boy could use a strong woman like you with such intelligence. He's a great shinobi, but I think you can get him to be an honorable man.' He basically said that Kiba is hopeless without me as his wife. Don't get me wrong, my father and Kiba have much respect for each other, the two talk regularly when Kiba visits, and the same goes for his mother and sister and myself. However, Kiba isn't always careful of what he does..."

"I'll second that statement." I said as Hinata laughed, "So...what does this mean for Kiba and his family?"

Hinata put a finger under her chin, "To be truthful, we're not entirely sure...Kiba's destined to be head of the Inuzuka clan not much longer from now when his mother is done with active duty, that is unless he passes the position over to Hana. He told me that he's more concerned for me than himself." she paused to shake her head, "I was touched when he told me that even if his family didn't agree with the marriage, he would immediately give up his clan name to spend his life with me."

"Wow...that's quite alot to say coming from a guy like Kiba..."

"I agree, luckily my family and his have had a mutual respect for each other, so he'll still be a member of the clan. He would just be living at the Hyuuga compound." she added.

I just couldn't believe how much Hinata had changed in the last couple years. She used to be the quiet, reserved noble girl who had little faith in her abilities. Now though, she was the second most powerful member of her clan, if you exclude her father. Only Neji was above her in talent.

"I can't wait to see the day when you become head of the clan, Hinata. Hopefully you create some new moves and stuff. I still can remember the day I decided to train with you, and all I have to say is that you _really _pack a punch with that Gentle Fist style." I grinned, earning a blush from the Hyuuga.

"Sakura was having a fit when I brought you in after that day, heheh..."

**Flashback**

"Um...Naruto, a-are you sure about this? I-I'm still not as good as Neji at the technique..." Hinata said as we stood in one of the many courtyards of the Hyuuga compound.

"Aw, come on Hinata-chan, you're strong too! Now, show me how good you are at the technique." I said. From the background I noticed Hanabi, Neji, and Hiashi watching intently. I wasn't going to make Hinata look bad, but I wouldn't let her get off easy in the training.

Hinata quickly activated her kekkai genkai and ran at me. I dodged a few of her palm thrusts, and tried to counter her barrage of chakra-crippling blows. She managed to smack me into the gut, and sent me reeling into a nearby post.

"Oh! Naruto-kun, are you okay??" I heard Hinata call out as I got up.

"Oh yeah! Never felt better!!" I said with a laugh. _Man that hurt!_

I noticed Hinata standing still for a few seconds, and then she spoke, "Naruto...you're standing in the zone of my Eight Trigrams..." she then crouched into the Hyuuga style battle stance. Uh oh...

"Eight Trigrams, two palms...four palms...eight palms!!!"

_I was sure that my shoulder did not bend that way..._

"...sixteen palms...oh, sorry Naruto!"

I merely grinned, gritting my teeth.

"...thirty-two palms..."

_Well, onto the grand finale..._

I felt several seconds pass by in hours as Hinata came in for the final strike...er strikes...

"...Eight Trigrams Sixty-four palms!!!"

I fell to the ground, and I swore I heard a girl saying, "Nee-san, why did you beat him up so bad?! He's super-cute!!" Then I remember seeing the faces of a worried Hinata and a Neji on the verge of laughing as Hanabi was ready to shed tears while saying, "He's Konohamaru's idol, and if he finds out about this, what will I say??"

"Hanabi, go get some ice, the boy will be fine. He survived Neji's assault, he'll be fine now too." came the voice of Hiashi.

"Heh...great work Hinata...I expected nothing less from the Hyuuga heiress herself." I smiled, then blacked out. I probably could have summoned the fox, but I figured that would be going too far with the spar we had.

**End of Flashback**

"Father apparantly felt sorry for you, but he did admit that you definitely are strong. He also was glad to hear that you believe I would make a fine leader." Hinata said after we recalled that day, and laughed at how that day had turned out.

"Is that why I got that very large fruit basket saying 'Thanks and Sorry, from the Hyuuga Clan'?"

Hinata giggled. The girl had become a Special Jonin with Chunin-ranked medical jutsu under her belt. She was still more of a fighter and scout, but also had the need to help heal people.

"Well, I'm glad things are turning out well for you and your family...and soon to be family." I added the last part with a wink.

She smiled as she headed towards the door, "Well, I'll be back to check on you in a few hours..." she then turned back to me as she exited, "Oh, and if you think of escaping, keep in mind that I'll have my Byakugan activated for periods of time." She gave me a cheery smile as she shut the door. Oh yeah, Sakura had trained Hinata very well...

A half hour passed, and I was feeling better. Kyuubi decided to slow down his healing, most likely so I wouldn't be so tempted to leave. He knew better than to have me get on Tsunade, Sakura, and now Hinata's bad side.

I heard a tapping at the window, and turned to see the smiling face of Lee. I signaled for him to enter and he jumped into the room, only to be followed by Shikamaru and Neji.

"Good afternoon, Naruto, you look amazingly youthful considering what has happened to you recently." Lee complimented, giving me his trademark grin.

"Thanks guys, I appreciate it...I take it this isn't just a social call though, right." I said with a frown.

"You are correct Naruto. We have come to see how you are fairing, and to see if you could give us any details." Lee continued.

"So, is it true that Akatsuki's in Fire Country?" Shikamaru asked, taking a seat and shoving his hands in his pocket in a typical Shika-fashion.

"Well, Kisame and Itachi are at least. They were in the same part of the forest as we were, and attacked some Rock-nin we were tracking down on our mission. Apparantly they didn't plan on running into us. They did mention though that they were going to try and find me in Konoha." I replied.

"You're lucky you escaped, Naruto. Tenten told me about your condition, and that you may have very well broken through the Tsukuyomi. Is that true?" Neji inquired. This recieved a look from Lee and Shikamaru as well.

"Yeah...I guess."

Shikamaru was now inches from my face, "Do you realize how lucky you are? You could have very well been captured, and then we would all be for a world of trouble...you can be so troublesome..."

"Well, from what I heard from Rin, they planned on attacking around this time. So, looks like we just managed to slow them down a little." I said with shrug.

Shikamaru shook his head and sighed, "I guess we better gather up the Niju Shotai and raise the alert level for Konoha, hopefully Akatsuki won't do anything drastic like attack Konoha directly."

Lee spoke up upon hearing this, "Well, I do recall from some travelers that the Land of Waves has been experiencing some very unusual events lately. Events that could be linked to shinobi."

"You don't think that the Akatsuki's hiding in the Land of Waves...do you, Lee? I mean, isn't there a Ninja village there now?" I asked. However, Shikamaru decided to answer this.

"Naruto, the Land of Waves _does_ have a ninja village, but it's forces are only in the mere hundreds. They're seeking an alliance with us, Hidden Sand, and the Hidden Mist. This could also further strengthen our ties with Kirigakure if we go through with it."

Neji nodded, "We actually are going to a meeting to arrange the forces we'll be sending to negotiate. I believe Gaara is sending Temari on his behalf though, from what I understand."

"Well, perhaps it's time I pay the Land of Waves a visit. It's been almost seven years since I last saw the place." I stated as I tried to get up.

"Hold on, Naruto, you can't go anywhere until you're cleared." Shikamaru said, "Don't worry, we'll be sure to throw in you for the mission."

"Fine...but I really hate sitting here and doing nothing."

Neji sighed, "Trust me, Naruto, Hinata-sama is not as soft as she used to be when it comes to stubborn shinobi patients. I'm not kidding when I say that she will knock you out if you leave..."

"Allright, just make sure that I get in this mission."

They nodded, and with that, left as quietly as they came. Great, now what is there to do?

I really hate hospitals...

**end of chap.17: And so ends another chapter on this heartpounding journey of Naruto's. I've got more chapters written up, but I'll wait awhile before I update again. Anyways, I hope you like where all of this is going. Again, please let me know what you think. Too much action? Not enough romance? Too much romance? More Lee? Well, until we meet again, later!**

**Shout-out no Jutsu!: Ratchet McCloud (Thanks, I'm glad you like the plot twist there. Hope this chapters helped you a bit, though I'm sure you've got ideas formulating now on what's going to happen. Hehe, you just can't handle that can you? Yeah, and I tried to make it where Naruto managed to escape the psychological breakdown that would have occured, but that doesn't mean he wasn't affected at all by it. Thanks for reviewing!)**

**and to all of you reviewing and reading my story, I appreciate it!**


	19. New Plans

**Disclaimer: I may not own Naruto, but I'll be damned if that will deter me from not enjoying the series any less! Cha!**

**Chap. 18: New Plans**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

It was going onto two o' clock when I heard another knock from my window. I turned to see someone I haven't seen in quite awhile waving to me.

"Konohamaru? What are you doing here?" I said, sitting up from my bed.

Konohamaru hopped into the room, scarf trailing behind. He was now sporting a fresh Chunin vest, but still wore his usual clothing underneath, "Hey, Naruto. It's been awhile."

I stretched a bit as I gave the young Chunin a grin, "Heh, so it's true, you are a Chunin now. Congratulations!" Konohamaru grinned with equal enthusiasm.

"So, are Moegi and Udon still on your team?" I asked. I immediately noticed Konohamaru frown a bit, but he returned to his cheeky grin almost immediately.

"Nah, Udon's going into interrogation, but Moegi is still on the same team with me. Um...Hanabi also joined are team." he gave a grin.

"Two girls, huh? Lucky." I smirked, and was pleased to see him get flustered.

"D-don't read into it!" he snapped, becoming defensive.

I laughed, "Easy, Konohamaru, I'm only kidding. Though I have to admit, Moegi has become quite the looker. Hanabi nothing to pass by either." I added with waggle of my eyebrows. Konohamaru actually nodded in agreement.

"Well, I came by to ask if I can come along on your mission. I've been bored out of my mind with low-ranking C missions for the last month. I definitely could use something like what you're doing. It will be at least another month before Shikamaru-sensei and Iruka-sensei let me co-teach with them at the academy." Konohamaru spoke, rubbing the back of his head.

"Wait, you're going to teach academy students?" I said, stifling a laugh.

Konohamaru shrugged, "Yeah, I know. I mean, I'll be learning while I do so, but I'll mainly be teaching the basics." He laughed, then added, "Sure, I was I bit of a screw up in the academy but-"

"So was I." I interrupted, "You're a Sarutobi, so I'm sure you'll do great." Konohamaru gave a forlorn smile, still touchy about the loss of his grandfather and uncle. Overall though, he had become stronger because of it, "...um, anyways, what mission were you talking about?"

Konohamaru slapped his forehead, "Oh, right, you weren't informed yet. Well, I asked Tsunade-baachan herself, she told me to ask you for permission." He pulled out a mission scroll and cleared his throat as he opened it and read, "The following shinobi are to go on a special non-ranked diplomatic mission to Wave Country to discuss an alliance with the Village Hidden in the Sea and the Vilage Hidden in the Mist. These ninja are as follows: Naruto Uzumaki, Rock Lee, Nara Shikamaru, Anko Mitarashi, Sakura Haruno, Temari no Subaka, and Chouji Akimichi. Any other ninja interested should consult the Hokage, or Naruto Uzumaki about joining," Konohamaru pocketed the scroll, then looked up at me, "Um...I do know that Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi-sensei, and Rin-san are joining. Hinata Hyuuga and Kiba Inuzuka are also considering it."

I gave Konohamaru a confused look, "So, why did Baa-chan assign me authority over teams?"

Konohamaru shrugged, "I don't know, something about, 'getting you ready for the real job' though I have no clue as to what she meant by job. I don't know how assigning teams for missions helps with being an ANBU..."

I nodded, thinking of what Konohamaru said. Baa-chan wasn't already considering making me Hokage, was she? I mean, sure, I would gladly take it, but was I ready? I turned to the Chunin, "So, you want to join in?"

Konohamaru gave me a pleading look, "Oh please, will you?"

I laughed, "Gee, I don't know. It sounds pretty important...you should be honored that Tsunade was even willing to have you inform me of this..."

"Oh come on, I promise I'll be useful!" he pleaded. Even though he was fifteen or so, he sure acted like a little kid.

"Fine, but you better have Moegi and Hanabi come with."

"Really?! Aw, thanks, Naruto! You're the best!" Konohamaru grabbed me in a brotherly hug, and I couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

"No problem. So, when is the mission scheduled?" I said, mussing the kid's hair.

"Two weeks from now." Konohamaru replied.

I nodded, and felt fully assured now that my idea that I had come up with in the past hour would work, "That should be enough time to teach her." I said, planning on doing some training with Sakura.

"Teach who?" asked Konohamaru.

I snapped out of my thoughts, "Huh? Oh, uh, nevermind, Konohamaru," I waved my hand dismissively, "So, Iruka's finally getting married in three days."

Konohamaru smiled, "That's right. Heh, you know, I never thought that Anko and Iruka would end up a couple. However, she had been stopping by the academy in the past three years that I did some part-time work there. She usually would pull Iruka out of his classroom in the middle of a lesson, so either Shikamaru-sensei or my self would have to cover for the fifteen minutes he was gone. He always came back inside with a beet red face and a grin on his face though..." Konohamaru snickered, and I found myself doing the same.

"What has poor Iruka-sensei gotten himself into?" I said with a chuckle.

"Do you think she forced him into it?" Konohamaru asked me.

"Heh, Anko? Nah, she's too bright to force Iruka-sensei into marriage. My guess is he tried to tell her himself, but she ended up proposing for him. Besides, they were made for each other if you ask me." I replied.

"They do make an odd couple though." came a voice from the doorway.

"Oh, Hinata-san, I'm sorry! I was just informing Naruto-sempai of the upcoming-"

"It's allright Konohamaru. No need to apologize and get all nervous." she smiled, then turned to me, "While we're on the topic, you wouldn't mind Kiba and me tagging along on the mission, would you?"

"I don't see why not. The more the merrier. We'll have about fifteen people then, so that should be fine." I grinned, and she gave me a curt nod.

"Thanks, I've been needing to get out of the village for some time now. Oh, and you're clear to go Naruto. Sakura's waiting in the lobby for you." Hinata said as she left the room.

I turned to leave, then looked back to the Chunin, "Naruto-_sempai_?"

Konohamaru merely snorted, "Tch, just showing you the proper respect...not that you really deserve it." he smirked, obviously joking with me.

"Right," I said while rolling my eyes, "I'll see you at Iruka-sensei's wedding."

Konohamaru gave me a salute, then jumped out the window. I took off my bandages and threw back on my outfit. I bounded down the stairs and as soon as I turned to the lobby I noticed a familiar pink-haired kunoichi run to me and wrap her arms to me, nearly knocking me over.

Sakura smiled as she gave me a kiss, "Thanks for not leaving early this time."

"No problem. So, I'm guessing you've heard about the mission to Wave Country?" I asked her as we walked out of the hospital.

"Yep, and I plan on enjoying it. It's not ranked, so we can have some fun while we're there." Sakura replied, and I grinned at the 'fun' part. She merely rolled her eyes...but she never said anything about it. The smile on her face only helped reassure she agreed with my train of thought, "We'll see, Naruto...just better make sure Jiraiya doesn't see anything."

We walked out into the park area, clearly not planning on going anywhere in particular. We sat under a sakura tree, and I couldn't help but smile as I looked at the girl right next to me.

"Sitting under this tree only makes being with you that much better..." I said as she leaned against my shoulder and wrapped an arm around my chest.

"Ugh, that's so corny, Naruto," I heard her say, "...but thank you..."

After a while of sitting, I decided now was as good as any time to bring up my idea to her, "Um...Sakura...?"

"Mmhm?" she said, her face muffled by my outfit.

"I want to teach you a technique..."

She lifted her head, and gave me a look of interest, "Really, and what technique would that be?"

"A ninjutsu of sorts..." I replied.

"What one?"

"The Rasengan." I answered.

Sakura looked at me as though I was covered with ants, "You're joking...right?"

I shook my head, "Not at all. You've got much better chakra control than me; I think you could learn it faster than me even. I mean, you're a Special Jonin, so I don't see why you can't do it. It might not be as _powerful_ as mine, but it will still work like any other Rasengan."

"What about chakra capacity? I don't have that kind of power at my disposal." Sakura argued, clearly not keen on my suggestion.

"You never know until you try, Sakura." I said, waving my finger at her.

She sighed, "Naruto...I-"

"Sakura, please. I _want_ you to learn it. It would mean alot to me...just...try it at least." I begged.

She gave a look of defeat, "Fine, fine...but don't say I didn't warn you if I fall over dead before our first training day is over."

I merely grinned, "Don't worry, I believe in you." I stated as we got up to head to the nearest training zone.

**end of Chap. 18: Hey, I finished another one! Now, if you're wondering, I'm still taking my time as I learn more about the Akatsuki members. I'm kind of doing research on Pein and Konan, and I've learned some interesting things about them. I have my theories on Tobi, yet I can't trust my assumptions yet...not sure if he is who everyone says he is. He has the Sharingan...sorry for those who didn't know. I'm still trying to learn more on Pein, but I got to say that I think Konan's powers are neat, if anything else. I won't spoil it for those who don't know yet (chapter 372, cough). Anyways, wow, I've also got some new ideas after seeing how cool Naruto looks with two tails on the anime, and just how Kakashi's Mangekyou Sharingan works. For those of you who didn't know he had it, I'm sorry to spoil it for you, but yeah, he gets the Mangekyou...and it's different from Itachi's, if not much cooler in my opinion. Four words: Warping space and time. Anyways, if anyone has questions, let me know!**

**Shoutout no Jutsu: kishi.tenshi (yeah, I know, Sasuke inside Naruto's mind already happened, but this time Sasuke's not out for Naruto's blood, but thank for acknowledging the fact that I know this. I'm going to have a chapter later that will be dedicated just to Kyuubi and Sasuke's perspective inside Naruto's mind. It should prove to be funny...hopefully) xFadingMoonx (Oh, don't worry, I don't go too long without romance. Just a hint for you, the training between Naruto and Sakura will end up making a very 'special' type of Rasengan...and no, not in a perverted sense. What kind you ask? You'll have to wait and find out! Haha!)**


	20. Train Me?

**Disclaimer: Hey everyone, guess what? I don't own Naruto! (gasp) I know, I know, I right such wonderful fics (cue the laughter), but unfortunately, I don't get any credit for them...I wonder if Mr. Kishimoto ever gets bored and decides to read fanfics on Naruto...hm...I mean, it**_** is**_** possible. Gah, nevermind.**

**Chap. 19: Train Me?**

**(Sakura's P.O.V.)**

We were standing in our usual training ground area, which to no surprise had various sized craters from weeks past littering the ground. According to Naruto, I should be able to make my own crater to add to the wonderful myriad of destruction. Naruto got a little hazy eyed as he recalled a few craters in particular...ones such as the time he managed to throw two RasenShurikan at once, and then the time he decimated twenty clones of himself in a single attack.

"You truly expect me to believe that I'm going to learn the technique of the Fourth Hokage?" I asked, tapping my foot as he snapped out his trip down memory lane.

He smiled brightly, "Hey, my dad learned it, Kakashi-sensei can do it, and even Ero-sannin has a relatively easy time with it. It's like a family jutsu...except no clan really...owns it I guess." he said with a shrug.

"What are you getting at Naruto?" I asked, not sure what he was saying.

"You're practically family to me Sakura...except in a different sense...you know what I mean...er, anyway, I feel that you should at least be able to perform a simple Rasengan. I only ask that of you. I mean, not to sound weird or anything, but you're alot sexier when you get that deadly gleam in your eyes. It scares the crap out of me, but whenever I see you look up after smashing a boulder in an attempt to crush my skull in..." he gave a shiver of what seemed to be delight, "...but I'm getting off topic. What I mean is that I think you should know this jutsu, and for starters, there's no hand seals to go through!"

I gave Naruto a very confused look, "Did you just say that I'm sexy when I look deadly?"

He laughed nervously, "Um...yeah...sort of...I mean, that gleam in your eyes with that smile promising pain just does something to my insides..."

I decided to humor him and gave him my best killer-intent look. He backed off a little, but I could tell he was blushing a bit, "You never told me of this sooner, _Naruto-kun_." I emphasized the last part by cracking my knuckles. I walked right up to him, and pressed him against a tree. He gulped as I tightened my gloves, "Why don't we just skip training and...do something else?" I suggested with a hint of seduction in my voice. It had been quite awhile since we had done anything totally intimate together. Naruto always gone for missions and me at the hospital proved to take up a good portion of our lives.

Naruto seemed to be fight a war within himself whether on whether or not he just give up with this training and give in to my request. However, he eventually reached a decision, "S-Sakura...please don't try and sidetrack me like that right now. I'm serious about this," he added with a light kiss to my forehead, "Tell you what, if you're still able to move after we're all done with this, then I'm yours for the night."

That sounded fair, "Fine...so what do I have to do for the Rasengan?"

Naruto beamed at me, and reached for a basket that he had decided to bring with him. He pulled out a water balloon and handed it to me, "First step of the Rasengan: Rotation." he beamed.

I looked at the blue water balloon, then at my blonde-haired lover, "What?"

Naruto smiled, and walked behind me and put his arms around me so that his arms were draped over my own. I blushed a little, and felt him lace his fingers around my own, "Rotation, the first step of the Rasengan. It isn't called the 'Spiraling Sphere' for nothing. You have spin your chakra in multiple directions for the Rasengan to start working." he said as he put his cheeks against mine, "Here, I'll help you with the first time...just because I love you. Now, summon chakra to your hands, and channel it into the balloon."

I nodded, and did as he instructed. I saw the blue light from my chakra channel into the water balloon, and felt a tingling sensation of Naruto throwing in a bit of his. As he gripped my hands, he told me to continue by making rotational movements with my hands while he slowly guided me. I felt the balloon start to vibrate as the chakra built up, and noticed a light from within the balloon spinning in every direction.

"Wow, it's working!" I said as I saw the balloon expand. Naruto eventually stopped assisting, but continued to hold on to my waste, giving me some pointers as I continued to keep the water balloons rotation going.

"Wonderful so far Sakura...it took me twice as long to even get started with the first step...but seeing as you have excellent chakra control, it's no surprise you're doing this well for the first time." Naruto laughed, giving me a light squeeze around the waste.

Suddenly, the water balloon exploded, and Naruto and I were both wet with water.

Naruto chuckled, "Wow...I'm truly amazed Sakura. I never thought you make the balloon pop this quickly. I mean, yeah, it's a water balloon, but that requires great effort to keep the motion going. I think you have a general idea of how that works, right?"

I gave him a nod, and he smiled. Then he reached into the basket and handed me another water balloon, "Okay then, this time it's all you. I won't help you do it, but I 'll give you advice."

I ended up having a harder time without Naruto's extra guidance in how to pop the water balloon. As good as control over chakra was, it was becoming quite a pain to pop the water balloon. Naruto watched with a rare look of concentration on his face, then spoke, "A little faster, Sakura."

I nodded, and made the spiraling motions with my my right hand a little faster as he told me to do. I again started to feel the balloon start to vibrate, and from my peripheral vision I saw Naruto nodding to himself. Suddenly...

Splooosh!!!

I found myself dripping wet fromt the balloon's contents. Naruto smiled, and laughed despite the fact that I was growling with anger, "Naruutooo..."

"I'm sorry Sakura...but trust me, I dealt with the same stuff all those years back. It isn't easy, I know, and it will only get harder.

"Right...so, how did I do?" I asked, straining my hair of water.

"I thought you could do it, and I was right. I think you have the general idea down, but, I think we can try a few more times before we go onto the next step." Naruto said as he gave me a third water balloon, "At this rate, you'll have the Rasengan down in days." he shook his head in admiration, "So, how do you feel?"

I shrugged, "A little drained, but nothing I can't shake off. I'm fine otherwise."

"Good, now, same thing only faster." he replied, pointing to the water balloon in my hand.

I was heaving in air, trying to maintain a standing position. My knees quaked, and I was dripping from head to toe in water. I finally gave into exhaustion. After a whole hour without a single break, I had popped close to twenty-four water balloons...Naruto said that he had done less, but he wanted to make sure I had this down perfectly so I wouldn't have to rely on making a Shadow Clone like he did when he first learned the technique.

"I...I think I'm done...for today..." I breathed, and fell to my knees, catching my breath fromt the chakra depletion. I was in no serious state, but I was definitely running on low.

I felt two strong arms pick me up, and cradle me, "Sakura-chan...you did great. I mean it."

"Thanks...Naruto." I said as I drifted into an exhausted sleep.

I awoke sometime later in the day in our bed. I stretched a bit, and let out a yawn. My hands felt numb from all of the Rasengan practice today.

"Oh, you're awake. I have some supper for you in the kitchen." I heard Naruto say as he peeked into our room.

"Hmm...not really hungry right now. Thanks though." I said, curling up in our extra soft bed. Naruto seemed to blush as I gave him my sweetest look, my face barely visible from burying my face in the pillow. He walked into the bedroom and sat on the bedside, "Sakura...you don't know how happy you've made me today."

I giggled a bit, "Why?"

"Well, I finally got the chance to teach _you_ something for once." he smiled, placing a hand on my side.

He was overreacting a bit in my opinion, "Naruto, you _already_ have taught me alot. Ever since we were Genin."

Naruto laughed, "Well, then consider this a generous gift for being such a beautiful kunoichi."

I raised my eyebrows, "Keep it up and you may just end up keeping that smile on your face for the rest of the night, Naruto." I laughed as he froze at that, but managed to let out a nervous laugh. He was fun to tease...even if I wasn't necessarily teasing him with the last statement.

Later that night after a nice meal of fish and fresh vegetables from my parent's house, and a little intimate time together, we lay in our bed, enjoying the warmth of each other.

"So, you ready for the wedding? It's two days from today." I heard Naruto say softly.

I nodded, "Yep, and ontop of that, it's going to be on the mountain on top of the Hokage Faces. I hear Anko picked out a gown that was hand made for her in Suna."

"Suna?" Naruto echoed, looking at me.

"Temari has connections. It helps that she decided to move in with Shikamaru's family, yet still maintain her affiliations with the Hidden Sand. Let's just say she can give us great discounts." I smiled, placing my head on his chest.

"Heh, speaking of which, when are Temari and the lazy bum going to get married? In another month, right?" Naruto said with a chuckle.

"That's right!" I replied, remembering that I was asked by her to help arrange the flowers with Ino and her.

"Still can't believe that he proposed to her." Naruto smirked, "He pulled a real fast one on all of us with that manuever."

"Yeah. She's inviting quite a large number from Suna as well. Not to mention Gaara and Kankuro will be here. It's almost a diplomatic meeting if you ask me." I said, knowing full well that Temari and Shikamaru weren't concerned about politics in the least bit.

"Geez, everyone seems to be getting hitched around here." Naruto mumbled.

"Speaking of which," I paused, and scooted closer to him, "when do you plan on asking me to-" before I could finish, I heard the light snoring of Naruto.

_"Auggh! Wake up, you stupid, blonde-headed, lady charmer of an ANBU!" _I heard my Inner-Self scream out in frustration. So close too...

Oh well, all good things come with time. For now, sleep seemed like the best idea.

**end of Chap. 19- Don't say it...don't say it...I know it's short, but this is another transition chapter...don't say, ah fine, go ahead, say it. I'm trying to make this interesting, and I know it's hard to wait, believe me, I know. I've read stories with the same reaction...but this was a 'fluff' chapter...I know, a college guy writing this kind of stuff is just...nevermind. I think I can make that up though with my fight scenes though! Anyways, I'll update sooner than you think! Okay? By the way, if you like this story, maybe you should read my other fanfic in the works, "Existence". The summary speaks for itself. Naruto runs off to Suna. If you're into that stuff give it a shot. Other than that, R&R because little Gaara likes reviews...you don't want to upset little, kind-hearted, six year old Gaara, do you? He'll cry otherwise, and no one wants chibi Gaara to cry...**

**Shoutout no...you know the drill: Darklight ultimate. (yeah, it was a short chapter...just like this one. Please forgive me...they'll be getting longer...hopefully. I try to compensate by making them more um...'fluffy'? yeah, I'll use that word. Anyways, thanks for your input.) kishi.tenshi (wow, I'm glad you aren't angry about the whole Rasengan idea. Oh, don't worry, it won't be like Naruto's Oodama Rasengan. She's not going to be uber kunoichi all of the sudden...I would rather beat myself with a mallet than go and make Sakura 'super-powered' all of the sudden. I'm not saying she won't be getting stronger, but I won't make her super-powered all of the sudden. You have my word on it.) DrendeSalkash (yeah, you should be interested in the new Rasengan of Sakura's...that little scene with Naruto showing her the first time is a teaser of how it might work...but don't be certain on that...I'm still developing the idea. Anyways, yeah, I'm having a inner turmoil on what to do...it's getting close to an importat part in the story, but I need more information...I hate waiting. Anyways, thanks for your appreciation on my endeavors.)**

**and to all who have continued reading and reviewing thanks, I shall not fail you-attebayo! Gah...I've got too much time for this...**


	21. The Marriage and the Mission

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I would have also paired Iruka and Anko together because so many people would both be happy and angry about them as a couple, and I like to rattle things up sometimes.**

**Chap.20: The Marriage and the Mission**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

There couldn't have been a better day to hold Iruka and Anko's wedding...or so Sakura said. I had to admit, the weather was nice; some clouds here and there, but also sunny out at the same time. I mean, it was just typical Konoha weather. I think the kunoichi were just too caught up in the wedding to realize that it was actually a bit colder than usual for spring.

"Just look at that Naruto," Sakura said with a sigh, seeing the wedding display all ready for the ceremony, "I don't think this day could be any better."

I was about to say something contrary to her statement...but Sai, who surprisingly decided to join us, beat me to it, "Sakura-san, it's not any different than yesterday. Actually, if anything, it's a few degrees cooler out..."

The sound of a fist colliding with a jaw made a mild grin spread across my face as I walked into the building where I was to meet up with Iruka and the others before the wedding. I stopped to pick up a now unconscious Sai, "Heh, I think that was overdoing it a little Sakura. He was just stating the-" I paused when my pink-haired kunoichi shot me a death glare, and no, it wasn't a sexy one either. It promised that she would beat me an inch within my life, and then force me to still attend, "-er...nevermind..."

I was later sitting in a room with, if I daresay, very beautiful Anko Mitarashi. I was instructed by Kurenai to wait with her while she waited with Iruka...something about tradition of testing fidelity. I wasn't really sure, but I went along with it. Anko was wonderful company, and ever since Iruka moved in with her, I became a welcome addition to their family. She was like the older sister I never had. I also owed her a few favors for helping me with advice when I started courting Sakura. Surprisingly enough, the snake-using Jonin was quite a romance-expert, contrary to her usual behavior.

"Naruto...do I look okay in your opinion?" Anko asked me. She was wearing a pure white kimono with gold trim to it. Two purple flowers were embroidered on the clothing as well. I could tell that it costed quite a bit, even without it being from the Wind country.

I sighed, but smiled, "For the fifth time Anko-chan, you look great! I don't know how else to convince you that I'm honest. Do you want me to lock the doors here and throw off my clothes and pounce on you?"

Anko laughed, "Okay, okay, I get your point." she said with a wave of her hand, and sat next to me, "I just...I'm nervous. I never thought I'd actually live to see this day. After today, I'll be known as Anko Umino."

I gave her a hug, "Aw, don't worry Anko! You look wonderful, and you know that Iruka loves you. I mean, he's probably _the_ luckiest guys in Konoha."

Anko gave me a look, "What are you saying Naruto?" she then smirked at me, and leaned in close, "You aren't all of the sudden saying that you find me...attractive...are you?"

"I..._oh no_, you're not playing _that_ game with me! I remember what happened last time I was caught in this conversation!"

**Flashback- one year ago**

I was waiting outside Iruka's place with Anko. Iruka was still finishing his classes at the academy, and Sakura had an hour left before she was let go from the hospital for the day. The four of us were going to go on a double date and have a meal at some high class restaurant that I never heard of before.

Currently though, Anko and I were just trying to pass the time with small talk. I mean, we knew each other sure, but only through missions or the occasional meeting with the Hokage about helping with classes at the academy. Other than that, we were merely 'just friends'.

"So, what do you think of me and Iruka?" the dark-haired kunoichi asked, a small smile on her face. Not a good thing.

"Hm, well, I'm happy for you two. I also have the chance to get to know you better!"

Her grin only widened, "Oh, really? I thought that you were scared of me."

"Scared? Tch, come on Anko, be real! I'm going to be the Hokage someday, why should I be afraid of a cute kunoichi like you?" I then stopped the second my sentence finished. Ah crap, she set me up for this...

"Ho ho, so you think I'm 'cute'? Well, tell me why I'm so cute then." she said, scooting closer to me, and draping an arm around me.

'Don't be fooled Naruto. She's just being a flirt! She only likes Iruka-sensei!' I reminded myself.

"Um...well, you have...wonderul eyes." I said, and immediately regretted that too.

"Wonderful eyes? Aw, that's sweet! A little cheesy, but still sweet. What else?" she continued, drawing me closer. If Sakura caught me now, I was sure I would be dying from fist to the skull.

"Heh heh, um, Anko...your getting a little close..." I said, laughing nervously as I tried to escape from her grasp.

"What, you're not uncomfortable with being this close to a woman, are you? Because I don't feel uncomfortable around you..." she said, rubbing a cheek against one of mine. I felt my face heat up, "Haha, you _are_! Well, you'll have to kick that habit of yours." she said in a sultry tone.

"A-anko...stop that!" I protested, but unable to move as she rubbed a hand over my other cheek. I mean, it wasn't uncomfortable, but it was sort of...wrong! I was going out with Sakura!

"Shh...this will be good for when you're alone with Sakura." she explained, and then pulled me into a hug, "Besides, I have to admit, you're kind of cute as well. If you must know, a good percentage of the kunoichi population has their eyes set on you. I for one, can see why."

I felt my heart begin to race, and was sweating a bit as she locked eyes with me. The gap between us was closing, and I had to stop now, as much as my body felt otherwise, "Anko, please, stop." I put a hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes widened for a second, but then she smiled, "What?"

I stopped to breath. Wow, Iruka definitely was a lucky guy. This woman did things to a guy without so much as lifting a finger, "I...I can't do this with you?"

She pouted childishly, "Why not?"

"I can't, Sakura-chan and I are together in a relationship, and what we have is more important than-" I was stopped when she put a finger on my lips, silencing me. This time, her eyes held no passionate gleam to them, but instead held something like genuine happiness.

"Good...then I was right about you." she said, pulling away slightly.

"Wait, huh?" I said, feeling stupid all of the sudden.

She gave me a peck on the cheek, "I was right about you being a real gentleman."

I still was unaware of what was going on, "Whoa, timeout! One minute ago you were this close to...well, you know, and now you're keeping your distance from me. What's going on here?"

She laughed, "You really want to know?"

"Yes!"

She sighed, "Promise you won't be angry?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Now what is this all about?"

"Well, since we had this dinner planned out two weeks ago, it obviously spread throughout the kunoichi population like wildfire. So, as always, gossip became part of it. Some girls even said that I was doing this to try and steal you away from Sakura. Well, at the bi-weekly meeting of Konoha kunoichi, they decided to test you to see just how loyal you are to Sakura. Obviously, Tsunade made a bet out of this, and placed fifteen hundred ryo on you stopping me from going further. Sakura placed all of her months earnings on similar terms. I was just as confident that you wouldn't go and do anything stupid, and agreed to pay double of what Sakura would have. Needless to say, I'm glad that I was right about your fidelity to Sakura."

I was a little shocked, "So...you all bet on me?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "What can I say? You are quite the handsome shinobi, and any woman would probably try to get their hands on you if it wasn't for Sakura. They just wanted to see how loyal you were."

"Wait, you bet that I would mess up?"

"Well, mainly those who don't know you well enough, but have a thing for you...mainly Hana Inuzuka, Hanabi Hyuuga, and a few others. Mostly young Chunin and some Jonin." she answered.

"I can't believe that they would do that to me..." I said, a little angered.

Anko gave me a hug, "Hey, don't be upset. For the record, I _knew _you wouldn't mess up. Same goes for Sakura and Tsunade. Most of them supported you. They know you're a good man, and wouldn't do such a stupid thing like that."

I smiled a bit, "Heh, I guess you're right. Good thing I didn't otherwise I'd have an angry Tsuande-baachan and Sakura-chan beating me to the ground." I laughed.

"Heh heh, right. Anyways, I'm glad you still can find ways to compliment a woman without sounding like a flirt. It's a rare quality in men in Konoha." Anko continued, "If anything, I would say that Sakura is probably _the_ luckiest woman in Konoha, if not, in all of the shinobi nations." Anko added, mussing up my hair.

**end** **Flashback**

Anko gave me a sheepish grin, knowing full well what I meant, "Heh, hey, I won't deny that I enjoy teasing you. In all honesty though, you really do know how to make a woman happy, Naruto. I bet Sakura's happy about that."

Before I could reply, I heard a knock at the door, and turned to see Kurenai, "Okay, Naruto, you're free of Anko now. Iruka's in the room down the hall."

I walked down to the room that Kurenai had told me to, and knocked on the door once I had reached my destination.

When no one opened the door, I knocked again...and waited...and waited.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, open up already!" I yelled. Moments later, the door opened to a sheepishly grinning Iruka Umino.

"Sorry, Naruto, must have not heard you knocking." he said, letting me into the room.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing that was one of the lamest excuses I've heard in a while.

He let out a sigh, and shrugged, "Nervousness, I guess..."

"Same with Anko," I nodded, "You adults sure are weird."

"Naruto...you are an adult. Besides, you should talk. I've heard from Sakura herself about how nervous you would get on your first couple of dates." my former teacher smirked.

"_Very_ funny..." I grumbled.

"I'm just giving you a hard time," he said with a laugh, "Naruto, thanks again for agreeing to be my best man."

I smiled, "Eh, I owe it to you. You were the one that taught me about being a shinobi to begin with. I also don't think anyone would have let me graduate under the circumstances that I had; with learning the Shadow Clone technique and stuff."

"Heh, well than I guess ANBU owes me a thanks for giving them one of the best members they have had since Kakashi's time." he grinned.

I had the decency to feel flattered, "Now you're just embarassing me."

Iruka put an arm around me and punched me in the shoulder, "I mean in, Naruto. I've heard from travelers about a blonde haired ANBU with a fox mask. You're in quite a few bingo books, and even though that's never a good thing to have, it also means you're definitely considered powerful. You do realize you've recieved a nickname, right?"

I rolled my eyes, "It's hardly intimidating, but yeah."

Iruka laughed, "What, I think being called 'Konoha's Yellow Wind' is a very nice name."

"My stinking father had to take the 'Yellow Flash' before me, didn't he?" I said with a grin.

"Well, he knew the actual Hiraishin no jutsu. You're just so fast that people feel a breeze pick up when you pass by them. Still, being ranked an A-class shinobi or higher in the bingo books of the Hidden Rock, Cloud, Sound, Grass, and Rain is quite the statement for someone to make. You're shaping up to being a fine shinobi." Iruka added.

For about a good fifteen minutes we sat, trying to keep our minds off of the wedding and how nervous Iruka was about this. Eventually, a knock at the door snapped us to attention, "Iruka, we're ready!" came the voice of Shizune.

I smiled as we both got up, "Well, let's go, Iruka-sensei." I gave him a slap on the back as we opened the door.

About three hours later we were holding the reception at the training grounds. It was nice to have the group together like this. The only downside was that Chouji was guarding the barbeque like a dog, and Jiraiya kept trying to woo the ladies with some songs from the karaoke machine until Tsunade politely 'removed' him from the stage.

"Lee, if you have so much as one drop of sake, then it will be two hundred laps around Konoha tomorrow morning!" came the voice of Gai as he held Lee by the vest collar, pulling him away from the alcohol.

"I am sorry, Gai-sensei, I was only trying to enjoy to enjoy the party like everyone else." came Lee's rather embarassed response.

A little while later and it was apparantly was time for me to make my 'speech'. I looked to see Kurenai with her three year old boy in arms, and she nodded. Yep, that was my cue.

I clanged a spoon against my glass, and everyone eventually turned to me and quieted down. I cleared my throat, "Okay, now that everyone's paying attention," I smiled brightly, "As you all know, I was chosen to be the best man. So, as the best man, I'm sort of required to make a speech of some sort. Well, I think I recall it being close to two years ago when these two," I nodded to Anko and Iruka, "started hanging around each other more often. Shikamaru even told me how Anko would pull Iruka out of class in the middle of a lecture somedays, or on other occasions that she would just show up and help teach. Needless to say, alot of people began to catch on to things, especially when Anko stopped going out to party on Friday nights."

A few people found themselves chuckling, namely the kunoichi of the group.

"I don't know it it was because they were complete opposites, or maybe because they had been on the same Chunin team for the longest time, but I soon became aware that Iruka's apartment was for sale, and he had moved in with Anko. I was even more suspicious when I realized that her apartment wasn't much bigger than Iruka's." I stopped to hear a few whistles from some of Iruka's friends, and saw a rather embarassed Iruka being hugged by an equally embarassed Anko.

"Well, anyways, I never thought they would, but they did. Anko is now a wife, and one of the most eligible bachelor's in Konoha is taken. I wish them the best, and hope they let me watch their kids when the time comes for them to need a babysitter. Let's hear it for Mr. and Mrs. Iruka and Anko Umino!" I finished, and an applause erupted. I turned to see Iruka shaking his head with a grin on his face while Anko stuck her tongue out at me for embarassing them so.

Later on after the announcement, I took some time to relax on a boulder near the party. The sun was setting by now, and the paper latern were now providing us with all the necessary light. I turned to see the lucky couple dancing slowly to the music playing, while a rather drunken Kakashi sang with a surprisingly good voice, despite his state of mind. I laughed, and looked up to the sky. It was a wonderful evening, and I was really enjoying the breeze blowing by.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out a photo of my dad and a red haired woman, my mother, both smiling. It was a photo that Jiraiya had given me when he stumbled upon an old photo album he had. On the back of the photo read the words, "Minato and Kushina". I felt a smile creep onto my face, and let out a sigh. I still felt sad sometimes that I didn't get a chance to really know my parents, seeing as they both died before I was even a day old, but I felt such a deep connection to them.

I also could relate to my dad in a way. Jiraiya and Tsunade told me of how my mother had a very tomboyish attitude, and spoke her mind. Kakashi and Rin would tell me about how even the great Yellow Flash of Konoha was a complete klutz alot of the time. I found that hard to believe, but I guess as the saying goes, 'like father, like son'. What I found so funny was how Jiraiya told me how Kushina Uzumaki kept the great Fourth Hokage on a tight leash alot of the time. I couldn't help but laugh, since it was a similar situation with Sakura and myself.

I unconciously began to trace a spiral on my stomach over the fabric of my clothing, and I then heard my demon 'tenant' speak, **"Your father was a powerful man."**

"Yeah, so I've been told." I nodded, "I can only hope to be as strong as he is someday."

Kyuubi chuckled, **"Heh, well, you've already attained one of his great jutsus, and added onto it. Sure, it's not complete, but I'd say you've definitely come along way. You're definitely the Yondaime's son."**

I yawned, and got up to stretch a bit. I then turned to see a very unlikely couple on the dance floor, "Moegi and Konohamaru...heh who would have known. That a way, buddy." I said to myself.

I then felt a very welcoming presence by my side, "So, are you going to dance with me, or am I going to have to steal Rock Lee away for awhile. I'm sure he wouldn't mind dancing with me, despite my relationship with you."

"Hey, hey, that's not fair! I was getting up to look for you, Sakura-chan." I said as we walked out to the dance floor. Tonight proved to actually be quite wonderful after all. Two people finally had someone to share the rest of their lives with, and I got to spend the evening with the woman I loved.

**(two weeks later)**

I stood with Sakura, Kakashi, Rin, and Jiraiya at the gates of Konoha. It was close to eight in the morning, and a warm spring breeze blew calmly throught the air.

I looked towards the village to see the figures of Lee, Chouji, Anko, Shikamaru, and Temari coming towards us. I managed to hear , "Shika, stop complaining and hurry up! I don't care how tired you are, we're already assigned to the mission, so deal with it!"

"Well, Temari seems to be awake this morning." Kakashi commented.

"Careful, Kakashi. She has good hearing when she feels like it." I warned, throwing a smirk at the masked Jonin.

Our group of ten waited for the final five people to arrive. We waited about three minutes when Hinata, Kiba, Hanabi, Moegi, and Konohamaru finally arrived. Now, fifteen people in all, we were probably one of the largest groups to go out for a mission in quite a few months. Strangely enough, Tsunade had placed me in charge, which I still was a little unsure of. Especially considering how my team's current state was in: Tired.

"I really wish you had let me bring another pack of food, Hinata..." complained a rather sleepy Kiba. A whimper from his giant, hairy companion, Akamaru helped emphasize the feeling of his statement.

Hinata merely sighed, "Kiba-kun, enough. You already packed a whole bag of food and nothing else. I think we'll be fine."

Kiba pouted, "Yeah, but that food is for Akamaru."

I decided to cut in, "Right, well, if everyone's ready, I think we should be on our way then."

Everyone nodded, aside from a bark of agreement from Akamaru, and we bounded off towards the Land of Waves.

We managed to reach the coastline of Fire Country in a day's time, much to everyone's pleasure. We all stayed in an inn, the owner even agreed to let Akamaru stay after Kiba assured the man that his nin-dog was indeed 'trained', and wouldn't leave anything unwanted on the floor. Akamaru seemed almost offended by the inn keeper's inquiry, seeing as the giant dog let out an offended bark.

The following day, we awoke and met with our ship that would be carrying us across the ocean to Umigakure; the village Hidden in the Sea. I was unsure of how the Wave's shinobi village would look, but needless to say, I was looking forward to it.

A half hour later, we were walking on the shore's of the island nation. A fog had decided to crawl into the scene when we landed. The ship remained anchored on the Wave's docks while we were here, and was insured to be kept safe by the sailors running the docks. They apparantly were more than happy to help shinobi from Konoha.

We found ourselves walking further into the fog, and Hanabi decided to point out my suspicions as she activated her Byakugan, "I thought so...this fog isn't natural."

"You're correct, Hanabi. The Sea-nin created this fog by means of jutsu." Kakashi stated, "It's almost like that of the Hidden Mist Village, but thicker, if that's at all possible."

We began to notice the fog thicken further, and soon were unable to see ten feet ahead. Hinata and Hanabi took it upon themselves to stand on either side of our group with their kekkai genkai activated, just incase something caught their attention. I was glad that I had them come with us, otherwise things would be much more difficult.

Hinata soon stopped, and soon so did the rest of us, "Four figures are approaching." she calmly stated. We turned to Hanabi, and she nodded as well.

We waited for our guests, hoping they weren't going to be hostile. I noticed the fog beginning to lift, and soon there was nothing. As we looked ahead, four shinobi wearing gray vests stood in our path. They must have all been Chunin, considering that they were alert and unmoving, yet gave off a slight wave of tension. Most Jonin wouldn't be as easy to sense.

One of the shinobi stepped forward, and he appeared to be around the height of Konohamaru. He must have been the team leader, "I assume you're all from the Hidden Leaf?" he asked.

I nodded as I looked over the boy, who indeed appeared a few years younger than me. He was around five feet, nine inches in height, and was sporting a long sleeve shirt of black color under his vest of gray. He wore gray cargo pants with a kunai holster on his left leg, and a small sword strapped around his waist, like a samurai would, which was unusual for a shinobi, since most wore their swords on their backs, like I did with my ANBU attire. He had dark brown hair, and equally brown eyes. His headband bore the symbol of Umikgakure, which was three simple wave-like lines, similar to an ocean's movements. Among that, he had a single scar running from his lower right cheek to just below his right eye.

He stopped, and blinked, staring at Sakura, Kakashi, and myself. He let a grin spread across his face, and laughed a little. His teammates gave him a look, but he simply said, "He's who we named the bridge after." The three other Chunin, which consisted of two women and another man around their leader's age, then looked to me, and gave me a respectful bow.

"Whoa, hey, no need to do that. That was _way_ back when I was just a Genin. I was only doing my job. Besides, it was my whole team that deserves credit." I said embarassed by the attention.

The leader gave me a nod, "Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake...geez, I was only eight the last time I remember seeing you guys. That was close to seven years ago." His grin widened.

I raised an eyebrow, then noticed something familiar about him. I grinned, "Inari, how are you? I was wondering if the rumors were true about you. The last letter I got from you was a couple years back, and you said that you were going to be busy doing stuff for your country. I had my hunches, but now I see that you really have become the hero that I hoped you would be."

Inari shrugged, "Heh, I'm only a Chunin."

Sakura smiled, and looked at the once timid little boy, who now seemed to be a mature young man, "Inari-kun? Wow, you've grown up!" she beamed at the boy, and he could only scratch his head. The fifteen year old boy smiled, clearly embarassed by the attention.

We followed the four Sea-nin and reached the stone walls that surrounded the village that we had visited seven years ago when the Great Naruto Bridge was constructed. I was clearly amazed by how much the place had improved in less than a decade. The doors of the village were made of wood, and had the symbol for Wave on either of the giant doors. Markets were bustling as the citizens went about their routinely business. I noticed there was far less shinobi compared to Konoha, but I would expect this seeing as the shinobi forces were only recently started. Apparantly, the Wave country decided that with its growing income, that it should create a shinobi village, but first it needed to train the possible canidates who would become the first generation of Sea-nin. Among them was Inari, as well as some others. I recalled that Konoha had sent a few Jonin instructors for two years to help train the academy students of Umigakure.

Later, after the basics were taught, the more experienced Genin were promoted to Chunin rank. A select few were made Special Jonin, but none were of higher rank yet. According to Inari, there ninja held about forty-five percent of the village population, not including academy students and first year Genin. The village was focused more on the quality of their shinobi, not the quantity of them. This meant the Genin here had most likely taken at least a few C-rank missions before they were promoted. Inari had about sixty-two D-rank missions and forty-eight C-ranks, and forty B-ranks under his belt. Quite an accomplishment for someone who I never thought would be a ninja. I never had doubt in his abilities, it's just I never thought he held an interest in such a livelihood.

I smiled as Inari stood before us, his smile spread across his face as he turned to face our group, "Welcome to the home of Wave Country's ninja, Umigakure!"

**end of Chap.20- There you go! I finally tackled this chapter, it was quite a workload on my part. I added alot to it, and planned on cutting it short. A few things I want to clarify are that I put the whole flashback with Naruto and Anko to show how the two have developed a bond with each other. No, Anko doesn't have any romantic feelings for Naruto, and vice versa. She merely was trying to see if he truly was an honorable man, and she was correct. If anything, the two look to each other in a sibling oriented way. Sort of how Naruto sees Iruka. Secondly, yeah, I did put Kurenai with her child in it. In case you didn't know, Asuma and her did have a romantic relationship, and yes, the child is Asuma's son. However, he's dead. I don't know if I should name the kid, but he's a boy, because I can see that being the case with Asuma dead, and her having a son. I don't know if I should give him a name or something, maybe I'll wait on it. Anyways, lastly, I plan on giving Inari some sort of bloodline ability. I know, I know, original bloodlines tend to be so predictable or lame, but I think mine will be interesting. I'll give you a hint; Inari will be the first to have discovered this bloodline, seeing as no one in his family ever became a ninja before. It will have something to with a word that begans with a 'w' and end is 'ater'...I know...tricky, eh? Well, hope you liked my extra long chapter! **

**Shout outs: CrazyKidDeath (lol, yeah, if only it were that easy. I'll be working on that subject between the two and the whole 'm' word subject later on in the story. I have my reasons for it not happening sooner, and they'll be known in later chapters. Thanks for the review!) kinshi.tenshi (You know, I thought about that after first seeing the episode where Sakura heals Kankuro in Shippuden when he was poisoned. I may have something else in mind, but it will still be great. Seeing as I skipped two weeks, Sakura's probably got the Rasengan down, but it will probably be different. You'll just have to wait until next time, bwahaha!) GFOX2113 (Heh heh, well, while I don't encourage insomnia, I'm glad you like my story. In the meantime, promise me you won't use this as an excuse to stay up all day and night. I've done it, and it wasn't good for me, lol.)**

**to everyone else, thanks for reading, and I'll be updating before you know it! **


	22. Student versus Teacher

**Disclaimer: I do fanfiction for a reason...that reason is because of copyrights...sigh. Naruto is not and very likely will never be owned by me...**

**Chapter 21: Student versus Teacher**

**(Konan's P.O.V)**

We stood at the edge of a forest, waiting for the orders from Pein. The group from Konoha had arrived earlier today. It was now night and a rather clear, starry sky was visible above us.

"Pein-sama is taking more time than usual." I said to myself. Along with me was Zetsu, Kisame, and Itachi. Tobi was off in a different section doing some reconnaissance work on Umigakure. Aside from Pein and myself, no one really knew that the masked ninja was the real hand directing the plans of our organization.

We all turned to see Pein with his normal body, the burgundy hair and peircing eyes staring at us with indifference. He had orders, "It seems that the Jinchuuriki boy and his group are here under the purpose of forming an alliance with Umi." Pein paused for a moment so that we all understood the circumstances we were dealing with, "Chances are, if this mission for some reason or another fails, we very well could have much greater things to worry about than capturing the Kyuubi. Not to mention that Temari no Subaka is here to represent Suna on behalf of the former Shukaku Jinchururiki."

"So, long story short, we could have three shinobi nations hunting us down after all is said and done." Kisame spoke, shifting the weight of Samehada to his other shoulder.

"Precisely. However, we have the advantage; Umi's forces are small and unexperienced. We stand a better chance of getting in with little trouble. The only real threats are Kakashi Hatake, Anko Mitarashi, and..." Pein paused briefly, "...Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin."

I heard a growl from Kisame while Itachi merely blinked in his usual unexpressive manner. It seemed that the two weren't quick to forget the first time Jiraiya stopped them from taking hold of the Uzumaki boy.

Zetsu spoke, "I can understand Kakashi Hatake and Jiraiya...but Anko Mitarashi? She's merely a Tokubetsu Jonin." His other half spoke, **"She's no true threat to us."**

Pein merely nodded, "This is true...aside from one little fact."

"What would that be?" spoke Itachi, who had remained silent until now.

"Since Orochimaru is dead, Anko holds a power that no else has access to." he again was silent, and looked towards Umigakure, "As of now, Anko Mitarashi is the sole ninja that is able to use the snake summon. Not to mention that the Curse Mark on her is almost nonexistent with the Snake Sannin dead. It seems that they found a way to counter it for good."

Kisame snorted, "Snakes? What difference does that make?"

"Anko Mitarashi can summon the most powerful summon now, since Manda had been killed during a battle involving Deidara and Sasuke Uchiha. This brings a new head to the clan of the Snake summons...which happens to be the son of Manda. Unlike Manda, his son does not demand human sacrifices. Apparantly the father and son never got along due to their beliefs on humans. This snake summon is known by the name Mankou. It would be wise not to underestimate the woman, since she has a great talent in the field of snake summons..."

Itachi spoke again, "This makes things more difficult. We are technically dealing with three of the greatest summons in Konoha right now. From what I know, Uzumaki and Jiraiya are able to summon the Toad clan, while Sakura Haruno is able to summon Katsuya and the other slugs. This could be quite a problem."

I narrowed my eyes while looking on towards the village of Umigakure. Itachi was right, this could be a major problem for us. Not to mention that Itachi's information on the Uzumaki boy and his supposed new found strength may be true.

Pein closed his eyes, "That's why we will proceed through this in the most reasonable fashion; stealth. I expect no problems from any of you. Tobi is currently scouting the area out, but from what he has explained to me so far about Umi's layout, I believe we can begin making plans. Here are your orders..."

**(Jiraiya's P.O.V)**

That night I sat outside on a dock near the hotel our group was staying at. The moon was shining rather brigthly tonight. I thought that nights like these didn't exist anymore. The last time I remember the moon appearing so bright was that day a little more than nineteen years ago...the day that one hero of Konoha died and another hero was born...

I sensed a familiar chakra near me. Speaking of those heroe, "Hey, Naruto."

"Ero-Sannin...how are you doing?"

I let out a sigh, out of habit more than anything, "How many times do I have to-?"

"Don't bother, I'll keep calling you that." he laughed, taking a seat next to me on the dock.

"What's up?" I asked, noticing that he seemed rather awake for this time of night. Well, it was only eight, but still...

"You feel like having a quick spar with me?" the blonde asked, cracking his knuckles.

I laughed at his proposition, "Where? We're in a village, Naruto. I respect the fact that you consider me a worthy opponent, but still..."

Naruto responded to my question by pointing out to an open area near the port of Umigakure. I turned to see him giving me his trademark 'foxy grin' with a laugh.

I grinned back, unable to resist the energy he seemed to give off, "Okay, if you're so eager to fight me, then I can't refuse. Don't say I didn't warn you though. ANBU or not, you're still just a kid in my eyes." I joked, and he merely chuckled as he gave me a hand to pull me up.

The boy in all truth was probably _the_ strongest shinobi in the village, next to Tsunade...well, maybe stronger than her too. The only thing that kept him back from becoming Hokage was that he didn't feel ready yet. The Council seemed to be impatient, waiting for the minute to finally get the boy to take over the the seat and wear the hat, but the fact that he felt he needed more time was accepted. Four or five years ago and the council would have adamantly opposed such an idea. However, the major clans of the village gave the boy his support, even the usually stubborn Hyuuga clan fully supported the blonde, including Hiashi. Hinata and Neji probably played a part in this, but it was still good to see the sole survivor of Minato's family recieve the respect that was long overdue to him.

A few minutes later and Naruto and I were standing on the water, floating on the surface as we bobbed up and down with the movement of the waves. A few citizens and Umi-nin gathered around the edges of the docks as we assumed our battle stances.

"Looks like you got an audience now, Naruto. I expect you to give them a great display of the future Hokage's power, understood?" I smirked as we looked at the small crowd.

Naruto suddenly grinned as he noticed a pink-haired kunoichi along with Kakashi, Rin, and the others of our group along with Inari. I heard a few murmurs from the crowd until one voice stood out, "Allright, Naruto! Knock that old perv into next week!"

I restrained myself from having a certain Snake-using Tokubetsu Jonin kunoichi from sinking into the ground by my Dark Swamp technique, instead settling for a glare. I turned back to my student, "Okay, Naruto, whenever you're ready." Little to my surprise, Naruto was already gone from view.

I ducked to avoid a kunai from behind, then spun around to block a kick from a Shadow Clone.

"Come on, Naruto, you're better than this." I said, and grabbed the clone's ankle and swung him into a nearby rockface overlooking the ocean.

Naruto quickly appeared behind me, and took a few swipes at me with a kunai. I dodged the initial attacks, but noticed that I recieved cuts anyways. I suddenly noticed that the kunai were actually the trench knives used by Asuma Sarutobi. I guess a gifted wind-user deserved to use another gifted wind-users weapons. Naruto put the knives away, and jumped back as he went through a series of seals. He inhaled a large amount of air, and inflated his chest a bit, "Wind Style: Infiinite Windstorm Devastation!"

"Heh, using one of Gaara-sama's techniques without sand. Not bad." I quickly stopped the chakra flow to my feet and dropped into the water below to avoid the attack...

...big mistake...

A moment later found me spinning in a vortex. I looked to see Naruto on the surface along with four clones using miniature Rasengans to spin the water around rapidly, creating a whirlpool.

I bit my thumb and went through a few seals to summon a large tadpole. I grabbed a hold of it as it quickly pulled me out of the vortex before vanishing into bubbles of smoke. I then reached the surface and was met with a grinning face of Naruto.

"Heheh, got you good, Ero-sannin." the blonde laughed, pointing at me. To think that this guy was a part of the ANBU...

I decided to whip out my hair, and with a movement of my head, wrapped Naruto in the makeshift restraint. As my hair stretched out by the use of jutsu, I flung the young ANBU into the side of a cliff, and wasn't surprised when he turned into a puff of smoke.

"I have to admit it, Naruto, you've truly become a master of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. I almost thought that I had you there." I grinned as I turned to block a fist from the real blonde shinobi.

"I'm only doing this well because you're holding back on me!" Naruto growled a bit, clearly not happy with this fact of information.

"Hey, for the record, you're in no postition to blame me for holding out when you could put me out of commission just as easily," I avoided a kick to the temple, and backpedaled as the shinobi took a minute to gather himself, "However, if you want to bring it up a notch, fine by me then." I added, biting my thumb again. Naruto caught on and followed suit as we went through a series of seals.

"Summoning Jutsu: Gamabunta!" I shouted.

"Summoning Jutsu: Gamakichi!" Naruto shouted, twice as loud.

Two puffs of smoke filled the oceanic arena, and I soon was standing high above the rest of the scenery on the head of the Chief Toad. I looked down to see Naruto sitting cross-legged on the back of a fifteen foot high Gamakichi. Gamabunta's little boy had grown quite a bit.

"Jiraiya?? What are you doing summoning me in the ocean?!" bellowed the gigantic toad, who then looked to see Gamakichi, who simply waved with a 'Yo, Dad!', "Why is my son here too?!"

Naruto, who was actually favored more than me by Gamabunta, decided to reply, "Um...we're just sparring...and we kind of summoned the two of you."

Gamakichi decided to add his opinion, "Hey, Pops, let's spar! I haven't gotten any good practice with my sword for while now."

"Gamakichi has a sword?" I asked Gamabunta.

Gamabunta blew a plume of smoke from his pipe, "He's going to take over the head of the Toad Summons when I've retired, so he's been training."

"Hey, what's the hold-up?!" called the younger toad.

Gamabunta grumbled something about impatient youngsters, put his pipe in his mouth, and drew his sword, "Fine...but don't expect us to take it easy on you little younglings!"

Gamakichi said something to Naruto, and the blonde nodded. Gamakichi unseathed a blade and looked up to us with a nod.

Before we started, Naruto went into a familiar kabuki stance like I usually did, and grinned, "Prepare yourselves!!! You are about to face the might of the student of the great Sharingan Kakashi, the wrath of the Toad Sannin Jiraiya's pupil, and the righteous fury of the son of the legendary Fourth Hokage. My enemies tremble in my presence, mountains crumble before me, woman swoon for me, and allies cheer in triumph as I fight! I am Naruto Uzumaki, the Future Hokage of Konohagakure!! Know the name and remember it well!!!" he finished with a pose while Gamakichi gave a dramatic pose with his sword.

I wiped away a tear: Naruto has learned well.

A voice from the audience interrupted the dramatic silence, "Naruto! You better be lying about the whole woman swooning for you thing in that speech of yours!!!"

Naruto jumped, "Eheheh, o-ofcourse I was Sakura-chan!" The two younger combatants then resumed their battle stances, giving us a silent signal that they were ready.

Gamabunta quickly slashed at the two, and Gamakichi literally rocketed into the sky as Naruto held on, using chakra no doubt. The two hopped onto the back of Gamabunta, and quickly turned to leap at me. Naruto began to channel chakra while Gamakichi raised his weapon. Naruto applied some chakra to the short blade while Gamakichi came closer to me.

"It's ready!!" Naruto yelled.

"Right!" Gamakichi replied, "Toad Wind-Blade Cut!" the young toad shouted, and slashed at the air. A wave of wind flew at me, and I dodged it quickly as it careened into the night sky.

Gamabunta took the oppurtunity of Naruto and Gamakichi recovering from the attack the dealt by hopping into the air, forcing the two to jump off. As they landed, the Toad Chief shot a few blasts of water at the two, which were dodged.

Naruto was again making seals, another wind jutsu I noticed, "Wind Style: Wind Dome Jutsu!"

This was Naruto's personal creation, made a year ago. A vortex of high power wind surrounded the port around us, but stopped a ways from the crowd. I knew enough to not touch the wind, unless I wished to be slashed by incredibly high powered winds. Gamabunta and I were trapped. Clever.

Gamabunta managed to hit the two with one of his water bullets, and Gamakichi fell into the water as Naruto flipped backwards to avoid a large toad's foot from crushing him. A sudden blast of water signaled that Gamakichi was back already from the depths of the ocean, and Naruto hopped back onto his back.

I went through a few seals, and watched as the water began to literally attack Naruto and Gamakichi in the form of giant tendrils of liquid. I smirked with pride as Naruto managed to disrupt the attack by using his own chakra to attack with his own water techniques. The boy had gotten smarter.

Gamabunta took a moment and nodded as he smoked his pipe at the blonde and his son, who were both currently busy with the water attacks, "He's grown stronger..."

"I should say the same for Gamakichi. The little toad's grown by leaps and bounds it seems, and his strength is much more than years ago."

Gamabunta grunted in reply, "Yes, I agree. Ofcourse, Naruto has trained with him in the past two years in his free time. The two are actually a great team together."

We turned to see the last of the water tendrils. Naruto quickly went through seals at a rapid fire pace. I noticed the air around him began speeding up, and he finished as the air took form, "Wind Style: Wind Dragon Missle Jutsu!"

"Earth Style: Giant Mud Wall Jutsu!" I shouted, and was relieved to see the giant earthen shield take the brunt of the attack. Gamabunta swiped at the remains of the wind jutsu while Naruto seemed to be unphased by the setback. The grin on his face didn't help either...

"Ready, Gamakichi?" Naruto asked, and the toad nodded. Naruto began to summon a large amount of chakra...way more than usual. What technique was he preparing? He went through a few seals, and I felt the toad under me let out a breath.

"Naruto's...using a...fire technique?" I said.

"Gamakichi, now!" Naruto yelled. Gamakichi spurted out oil and Naruto shot out a blast of fire, "Fire Style: Toad Flame Bomb!"

Gamabunta hopped to the side as the flames missed us both. Unfortunately, the attack hit the wind-dome.

"Jiraiya, we're going to be cooked in here if we don't find a way out of this wind dome! Look, the fire's already spreading!" Gamabunta rumbled, and he had a point. Naruto and Gamakichi seemed to know this, and had planned it out the whole time. Very clever.

"Since when could Naruto use Fire Jutsu? That was his weakest elemental jutsu category, and he has trouble performing lightning based jutsu as well. For crying out loud, he's better at _earth style_ techniques, and his affinity is to wind!" I spoke as the temperature made the water begin to steam a bit.

Naruto stopped with the flames, and seemed to be panting a bit. I was right in my guess; Naruto only could do so much with fire techniques, so Gamakichi helped make up for this with the oil, providing extra firepower to Naruto's attack.

The flames were now surrounding us, and we were now trapped in a dome of spinning flames...not good.

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I smirked as the dome ignited around us.

"Ready to finish this, Gamakichi?" I asked the toad.

"Let's do this." he replied, lifting his large kunai.

The toad leapt into the air, flying at his father, and swung his blade. Gamabunta barely had time to react, and blocked with his sword.

Gamakichi quickly hopped to the side and avoided an attack from the larger toad's blade, and the occasional shurikan and kunai from Jiraiya. I could tell that we would have to end this soon or face being boiled alive in the trap I made.

"Since when can you use Fire Jutsu??" Jiraiya called from above.

I merely grinned. I wasn't too keen on the situation at hand to go into a huge explanation on how it took me two months to harness a standard Fireball Jutsu.

"Um...I think we should get out of here." I said meekly as the Toad Sannin continued to look at me.

"Really? You think so??" Jiraiya yelled, clearly not happy about the encroaching flames.

"You two should get out of here. We don't need the two most skilled clan members dead now." I spoke to Gamakichi.

"Why don't we just shoot water at it?" Gamabunta suggested.

"My wind powered chakra is keeping that fire alive. It would do little to stop it if we shot water at the dome." I repleid, feeling the air around us rising in temperature.

Gamakichi gave me a look, "You going to be okay getting out of here?"

I smirked, "I've dealt with much worse situations, believe me."

"Point made. See you, Naruto." the two large toads dissapeared in giant clouds of smoke, and now it was just me and Jiraiya again.

After Jiraiya and I used our combinded strength to summon enought sea water to engulf the wind dome, we stood off again, facing each other, both of us a little weary. I decided that we should finish this with a bang.

We both lifted our hands, and blue spinning spheres of chakra appeared in either of them.

"So, you can finally make a perfect one-handed Rasengan. About time." I heard Jiraiya say as he held his in his right palm. Despite how taxing this was for him, the Toad Sannin refused to show any fatigue. I couldn't help but grin at the older man.

"Okay, Ero-sannin, let's have this decide the match. Dueling Rasengans!"

"Fine by me." Jiraiya replied.

Another moment passed and we were now holding fully charged and spinning Rasengans, whistling madly in our palms, begging for release.

"You look like your father right now." Jiraiya commented, giving me a grin.

"...thanks, Jiraiya-sama."

We sprinted at each other, going at dangerous speeds with our palms facing towards each other. The air around us was literally warping with the saturation of chakra...well, mainly my chakra...but still...

"Rasengan!!!" we both cried out!

**(Kakashi's P.O.V)**

I squinted as I watched the Toad Sannin and his pupil crash into each other. The place lit up briefly as the two spiraling spheres exploded into bursts of chakra and intense light.

"He's gotten better at it..." I heard Sakura state, a smile gracing her face. I nodded as I heard the loud whooping from Kiba and Konohamaru.

The two combatants went flying in opposite directions, skidding on the water as the force of their attacks blew them away. After a few seconds, the two stood up, eyeing each other like warriors would in a classic movie...

...then Jiraiya stooped on one knee, clearly exhausted.

We went over to the two, and I heard Naruto chuckle, "Oh, come on, Ero-sannin, you were still holding back on me!"

Jiraiya laughed a little, "True, however, had I used my other form for combat, I may end up scaring away all the beautiful woman. Besides, Hermit Mode is for dangerous situations," Jiraiya got up with Naruto's help, "Regardless, you beat me, and you hardly broke a sweat...aside from the fire technique. Tsunade may have to step down sooner than- er..."

"What was that, Ero-sannin?" Naruto asked, not catching the last part. Sakura, who was now healing Jiraiya's wounds while warning him not to try anything perverted, gave him a smile. I too heard the Sannin's words, and was glad to see that Jiraiya believed in Naruto so much. Sakura seemed to suddenly become more cheerful to Jiraiya.

'Note to self, complimenting Naruto keeps you on Sakura's good side.' I mentally noted.

"He's really like Minato-sensei...isn't he?" Rin spoke with a quiet tone, looking at Naruto with a hint of pride.

"That's for sure." Anko said in agreement. Though she had only been a kid when Minato-sensei took the title of Hokage, very few could forget the blonde-haired Yondaime that easily.

I decided to bring up a topic that Jiraiya, Tsunade, and I discussed before this mission, "Jiraiya-sama, don't you think Naruto's ready to start learning his father's other technique?"

Jiraiya simply smiled, and gave a nod.

Naruto's head snapped to look at me, "What technique?"

"Well, he's not quite ready yet, but I guess I could at least give him the scroll for it." Jiraiya said with a shrug as we all headed back into the village.

"What technique, what technique??"

"Naruto, will you settle down? Jiraiya-sama said he would give you the scroll so just be patient." Sakura chided.

Jiraiya made a scroll appear in his hands, and he handed it to Naruto. The blonde looked at it, and his jaw dropped.

"Is...this...r-really it?" Naruto whispered, trying to contain his excitement. The Toad Sage nodded with a smirk upon seeing Naruto's reaction.

"Yep...that's the Hiraishin no Jutsu; the Flying Thunder God Technique. Perhaps _Konoha's Yellow Wind_ can take on his father's technique and become as well known by shinobi nations all around the world somday." Jiraiya nodded.

We all laughed seeing Naruto grumble upon the mention of his nickname. It was well known that while the name 'Yellow Wind' was feared by enemies, Naruto still hated the nickname he seemed to inherit.

I put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Don't worry about the nickname, Naruto. At least you aren't known as the Legendary Sucker." I said, trying to cheer up the young ANBU, and managed to get a chuckle out of him.

We headed back through the village gates, and went to our respective rooms in the inn. I raised an eyebrow as I saw Sakura practically haul Naruto into their room, which they had to themselves. Naruto gave me a sheepish grin as he was yanked through the doorway. A sign saying 'Do Not Disturb' was put on the doorknob, followed by a click signifying that the door had been locked. I felt a small flare of chakra from Sakura, then nothing. She placed a seal that let no noise leave the room, along with chakra.

Rin laughed as Anko smirked at the locked door, "Geez, I've never seen her so eager to get it on with Naruto..." the Snake-kunoichi commented.

"...and you would know this...how?" I asked.

"Kunoichi have their secrets, Kakashi." was all I got from her. She turned to a giggling Jiraiya, who immediately stopped and went to his room after recieving a death glare from Anko. Anko then went to her room after giving us a quick 'Goodnight'.

"Well, I'd prefer not trying to invade my former students' privacy, so I'm going to bed as well." I spoke. Rin joined me, letting out a yawn as she walked with me.

"You know, Naruto's going to be representing Tsunade-sama tomorrow. Hopefully Sakura won't wear him out too much." spoke Rin with a laugh.

"Well, the boy is known for his stamina."

"Kakashi!" she gasped, and then broke into more laughter as we went into our bedroom to retire for the night.

**end of Chap. 21- Wow, finally done. I don't know if it's because I was just extremely tired, or if this was alot of to type, but I feel like I completed a major chapter here, even if it wasn't much more than a simple filler for the transition from Konoha to Umigakure. Well, I still like it. As you can probably guess, Akatsuki will make an apperance soon, so look forward to that. Until then, keep on reading! Thanks!**

**A.N- on a side note, I'm going to start just sending personal messages instead of doing shoutouts. They take up a lot of space, and sort of add on to the word count, even though they aren't neccessarily part of the story. Kind of feels like cheating...lol, well you get the picture. **


	23. The Attack Begins

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't owned by me, but Umigakure is still my idea. Mine, I tell you!!! ALL MINE!!! Ahem**

**Chapter 22: The Attack Begins**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I lay in the bed, a small smile on my face. Next to me, sleeping quietly, was Sakura. The thin sheet was all that seperated our bare skin from the cool night air of the window we cracked open a little.

I chuckled, remembering how Sakura had been quite eager to get me into the room. She apparantly enjoyed our 'intimate moments', clearly stating that the past two weeks I had been gone on a mission with my ANBU team had been hell for her. She looked innocent in the public's eye, but she had a naughty streak to her on those occasions that we had the night to ourselves. Needless to say, I was the only one that knew of it...well, maybe Ino too, but what _doesn't_ Ino know?

I yawned, feeling the warmth of Sakura lulling me to sleep...

...or at least I had hoped for that to be the case...

I instead found myself in the mindscape of Kyuubi's chamber. A few feet in front of the cage sat Sasuke, looking over a chess board with his brow knitted together in a look of utter concentration. He watched as one of the black bishops seemingly moved as Kyuubi used his chakra to make the piece glow red, and my former teammate groaned as he saw his knight get taken out.

"Check." spoke Kyuubi.

Sasuke searched the board for a solution, then used one of his bishops to take out Kyuubi's assault. Kyuubi yawned, seeminly unphased by the denial from Sasuke. I decided to speak up.

"What do you guys need?" I asked, followed by a yawn.

The chessboard dissapeared as the two faced me, "Naruto, Kyuubi and I think you need to train a bit more. It's been three days since we last sparred." Sasuke answered, followed by a grunt from the demon-fox.

I sighed, "Look, guys, I just got done no more than three hours ago sparring with Ero-sannin...and Sakura was rather...affectionate tonight. She-"

"Don't need details, dobe." Sasuke said with a wave of his hand.

Kyuubi smirked, "So, when are you going to finally ask her?"

I blushed, and before I could say another word, Sasuke laughed a little, "So, you're going to pop the question?"

"Yeah...I've been planning on it for awhile now. I'll be asking her next month. I was going to have a date planned...restaurant, walk through the park, and then we would go up to the Hokage Monument." I finished.

Sasuke nodded, "About time you do that."

"Tch, you didn't have to put up with his constant dreaming of her back when he was a kid." Kyuubi snorted, and the two laughed. Oh, great, Sasuke's corrupted Kyuubi into mocking me as well now.

"Listen, guys, can we wait until I go to meditate around noon tomorrow? I still have to sign that treaty with the Wave's council tomorrow morning at nine. Luckily enough, the agreements have already been made on both sides. I just have to be there to 'verify' it all."

Sasuke shrugged, "Fine. I guess if you're too winded after going at it with Sakura, then sparring would prove to be pointless."

I sighed as the two laughed again, "Watch it, teme." I growled, but couldn't help but smirk a little. In all honesty, I liked Sasuke this way.

"Very well, we'll spar at noon tomorrow then," Kyuubi concluded with a nod, "Now, get some sleep, you'll need it if you're representing Konoha tomorrow."

With that being said, I drifted off to sleep. The following morning was rather slow paced. I went to the main tower of Umigakure with Shikamaru, Temari, who was representing Suna on behalf of Gaara and the council as well as Konoha, Kakashi, and Jiraiya. The alliance was signed rather quickly since Tazuna was part of the council of the village, and within an hour all the agreements and alliances were put into paper and were made official by the signing of me and a few others.

I was informed afterwards by Inari that Sakura was helping out the village medic-nin at the hospital, so I decided to go and work on my mental training with Sasuke and Kyuubi. If Sasuke and Kyuubi said was right, then the technique we developed would be able to counter anything the Sharingan or Mangekyou Sharingan threw at me.

**Two Hours Later**

I snapped my eyes open when I heard a distant explosion. I had just finished with Sasuke and Kyuubi the sounds of distant rumbling went off. I looked towards the direction leading to the port, and saw smoke rising into the air.

I felt the presence of two others behind me, and I spun around with a kunai in hand to meet the faces of Konohamaru and Moegi.

"Naruto! The village is under attack!" Konohamaru exclaimed, his forehead glistening with beads of sweat. He seemed like he had been running quite a fast pace, and Moegi was just starting to catch her breath.

"Who's attacking?" I asked as I got up from the ground.

Konohamaru gave a pained look, but Moegi answered, "Naruto...Akatsuki...they have Sakura being held hostage. We managed to get out of the fight, and looked everywhere for you."

I dropped the kunai I was holding, "W-what?!"

"The Sea-nin are trying to get to the group of nuke-nin, but they're being held off by Water Jutsu and some really powerful Fire Techniques. I think one of them was that Shark guy you said you met up those years back." Konohamaru added.

"That's not good. If Kisame's here, then so is Itachi." I growled.

"Naruto, there's six of them...they made a demand that you be handed over, or Sakura dies. Luckily, they don't seem to willing to kill her unless you're there yourself. So we attacked." Konohamaru finished.

"Those...bastards. Okay, listen you two, I want you two to stay close and follow me. When we get to the port, I want both of you to find our group. Undertstood? Akatsuki won't do anything stupid if I agree to cooperate with them." I said firmly.

"Naruto, no! If you surrender to them, then you'll-"

I cut Moegi off, "I never said anything about _surrendering _to them. I've got a way to fix this...maybe. I've been working on a way to counter that Itachi's techniques, but it won't be easy."

The two nodded, and with nothing further to be spoken,we ran off towards the sound of battle.

**(Kakashi's P.O.V)**

I avoided another blast of flames as Itachi and I squared off. Even with the combined efforts of Rin, Rock Lee, and myself, we still were having a great amount of difficultly fighting the Uchiha. Unlike the time back when we went to rescue Gaara, this was Itachi in the flesh. We were able to take a small amount of comfort in the fact that Lee was fast enough to connect a hit or two on Itachi every so often...but it still wasn't enough.

Meanwhile, Kiba, Akamaru, and Chouji were fighting Zetsu with some success, since it was easy enough to sniff out the missing nin when he dissapeared into the ground. The Inuzuka and his hound would give the location, and Chouji would use his raw power to crack the earth near the shoreline where the fought to drive out Zetsu. Needless to say, the strange man seemed to be toying with them, for I hadn't seen him really attack yet.

Hinata, Temari, and Hanabi were fighting the woman that was known as Konan. The three were not having much luck, for they had to continually dodge paper kunai by using their Rotation and wind jutsu to avoid the seemingly endless barrage of techniques. A unique style of ninjutsu, and it gave the Akatsuki member the ability to fly thanks to a pair of wings resembling those of an angel's. An angel of death...but still an angel.

Shikamaru and, much to my suprise, Inari, were facing off the infamous Hidden Mist nuke-nin, Kisame Hoshigaki. Shikamaru was not looking too well, considering he wasn't a close range fighter. If not for Inari, I feared the worse would for Shikamaru. However, the face on the Nara's face spoke volumes about the young man's determination. He only had that look on his face once before, and that was when he fought against Hidan. Inari, on the other hand, had a smirk on his face. The Chunin boy was fast, and he seemed to be quite an adept Water Jutsu specialist. Not of Kisame's level, but still talented.

A little ways from our own fight was Anko, who was taking on a man wearing an orange mask named Tobi. The man didn't seem to display any special talents, but Anko was smart enough to look beyond that. Akatsuki didn't have him as a part of the team for nothing. Everytime she managed to get a hit in, he got up, unphased it seemed.

The two far off combatants were Jiraiya and five other men, who for some odd reason were more like parts of one man. His name was Pain, and was the leading member of Akatsuki. He had managed to set up a barrier around the port, and it covered all of us while keeping any Sea-nin out in the process. The two were on summons; Jiraiya on the back of a giant toad while Pain was on a summon of his own.

Off in the distance was a pillar that Pain had summoned. Tied around it was Sakura, unconcious and beaten. No doubt she had put up a fight, but one ninja could only hold against six S-ranked missing nin for so long.

The part that bothered me wasn't that Akatsuki had gone for Sakura, but the fact that they had brought all six of their members. Were they finally getting desperate, and decided to just go for a full assualt? They demanded that Naruto be surrendered to them, otherwise they would use force.

"Naruto..." I whispered as I activated my Sharingan to continue my attack on Itachi.

**(Inari's P.O.V)**

"So, you're the one known as Kisame Hoshigake? I've been told you're wanted for the attempted murder and coup d'etat of the Mizukage...along with several other charges in various countries." I spoke, stanging on the water as Shikamaru was attempting to catch his breath. He had a very nasty gash on his right arm, and he seemed to be a bit weary.

"Heh, well, you're right about that, kid. I don't know what a little guppy like you plans to accomplish against me, but winning this fight won't be it," Kisame laughed with a toothy sneer, "This poor excuse of a shinobi village can't even hold its own against me, let alone the rest of Akatsuki. What makes you think that a squirt like you can do any better? You aren't even a Jounin."

I frowned, "Okay, now you've crossed the line," I turned to Shikamaru, "Go help Anko-san. This fight just became personal."

Shikamaru gave me an incredulous look, "Are you crazy? This guy's not a S-rank criminal for the hell of it. He'll rip you to shreds."

I shook my head, "Somehow, I don't really think that means much. He just insulted Umigakure to my face, and now he'll pay. We're not pushovers, despite our numbers. Go on, Shikamaru-san...I can handle things from here."

Shikamaru sighed, and pulled out a soldier pill. He ate one himself, and handed me one as well, "Inari...you better not die on us. Naruto and Sakura speak highly of you, and if you die, I don't think they would be able to forgive me anytime soon for leaving you alone with this freak." With that said, he ran to the battle between Anko and the masked man.

I turned to face Kisame who was grinning as he lifted Samehada of his right shoulder, "Heh, so you have a death wish, huh? I'll be happy to fulfill it for you then."

I said nothing as I concentrated chakra throughout my body, "Don't speak so soon. I'm just getting started with this little bout of ours."

Kisame's grin widened as he sensed my rise in chakra, "Well, well...the little guppy isn't so weak after all. You seem to have about as much chakra as a standard Jounin."

"Oh, there's more than that..." I chuckled, and slowly my body melted into the salt water. The next thing I knew, I had actually _become_ a mass of water...well, sort of. I was still a sentient being, still retained my intelligence, and was still alive. I had been the first shinobi in all of Umigakure to unlock a bloodline. I had yet to give it a name, but I suspected that many generations ago, before my grandfather's time, our lineage had shinobi ancestors. My grandfather and mother had no knowledge of this, but I decided to work on it. It had been one of the reasons why I was so skilled in water combat.

I raced through the water and resolidified behind the unsuspecting nuke-nin. I delivered a swift kick to Kisame's back, and watched as the man turned into water.

"Water clone?!" I said, and quickly ducked to avoid getting shaved by Samehada.

"Impressive. A kekkai genkai of some sort, eh? You know, I knew of a boy with that ability...I believe his name was Suigetsu Hozuki..." Kisame laughed as he barely managed to hit me again. I could feel my chakra dissapating as I came closer to the bizarre sword. I couldn't afford to lose chakra so carelessly.

"Suigetsu Hozuki? Huh, I've heard of the guy in books...not sure where he is, but don't get our abilities confused. Unlike him, I don't require constant rehydration. My ability relies on chakra alone, and I can freely manipulate the water level in my body by as much as ninety-nine percent. It's much more effective than that man's abilities." I explained as I jumped back to avoid a downward arc of the man's blade.

"Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Kisame spoke, and the area around us became blanketed in a thick sheet of white.

"This won't work on me; all Genin are required to know how to engage in such conditions before they graduate here. You'll have to try harder than this." I said, closing my eyes.

A laughter came from every direction, "Is that so? Well then, I guess you should have no trouble with this!"

I jumped to avoid having my legs torn off, and as I descended back down, I went through a few seals, "Wind Release: Wind Vortex Justu!"

A whirlwind surrounded me, and within a few seconds the mist had vanished...and so had Kisame.

I had no chance to move as the fish-like man reappeared from the water, his sword about to grate into my back. I quickly channeled some chakra into my back and my spine area became water, preventing possible damage. A bit of skin and cloth had been torn off, but it was a small price to pay to prevent paralysis.

"H-how?" Kisame uttered in frustration.

"I told you," I said turning around, "I can manipulate the water level in my body to whatever I wish, so as long as chakra flows through me."

I suddenly felt an impact from my side, and heard a rib snap, "Crap, more Water clones..." I looked up to see Samehada slam me into the water. I flew through the watery depths, and barely had time to react as Kisame went for me with his sword.

"Water Style: Five Man-eating Sharks Jutsu!" Kisame yelled through the water.

I saw five water sharks materialize, and I quickly pulled out my blade. Turning into myself into water wouldn't help against an attack that was made of water as well. This battle had just gotten alot more serious, I realized as the five sharks swam at me with speeds much greater than any human.

**(Hinata's P.O.V)**

"Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!" I yelled, spinning like mad as another barrage of origami kunai flew at me. Despite the material they were made of, those kunai were as sharp and deadly as any other ninja weapon, if not more so since Konan could manipulate them without raising a finger.

Hanabi stood next to me, heaving in air, "Nee-san...how do we get past her attacks without getting torn to ribbons by those origami attacks of hers? She seems to be made of paper almost, and any solid attacks we make will just end up making contact with sheets of paper that she substitutes herself with."

"Well, if we can find a way to slow her down, then maybe we could turn this battle around," Temari said as she whipped her fan to knock back a spray of paper shuriken, "Unless one of you knows any Fire Jutsu..."

"Wait...slow her...that's it!" I said, and turned to Temari, "Temari, do you think that you could create a strong enough wind to lift up the sea water?" I asked the blonde wind maiden.

"Just how much water are we talking about here?" she asked, taking a leap backwards to avoid more origami projectiles.

"Enough to completely soak her." I replied, and was further comforted by my idea when Temari merely laughed with a smirk.

"Oh, that shouldn't be any trouble at all." she said with a grin, "I think I see where you're going with this. Weighing down her body so she can't produce any paper, huh?"

"Exactly." I responded with a nod, and then pulled out a ribbon as I tied my hair back. Hanabi saw this, and her eyes widened.

"Nee-san...you're not...planning on...?"

I pulled off my sandals and handed them to her as I let my bare feet float on the water, "Yes, Hanabi-chan, I do plan on using that technique."

Hanabi started to sputter out words, but eventually managed to say something, "Y-you could...you..."

"Die?" I asked with a smile, "Perhaps...that all depends on if my system can take the amount of overexertion I put on it," I went into a stance, "However, I _did_ invent the technique, so I think I know what I'm doing."

"What are you two talking about?" Temari asked, confusion written on her face.

Hanabi looked at me with worry before turning to the blonde, "Hinata-neesan is going to use a family kinjutsu."

"Wait, your a forbidden jutsu?" Temari asked, her eyes widening with concern.

I nodded, "Yes, the Eight Trigrams One Thousand twenty-four Strikes. It involves both hands and feet, and the speed at which it is performed far exceeds that of any other Gentle Fist technique...Neji isn't as good at it, since his speed is only a little less than my own, but he can perform it in a last resort situation. It's even more deadly than the Eight Gates Assault, since it attacks some points more than a few times, and the rate at which the user attacks is so fast that the chakra coils literally explode in some cases. The internal damage done to organs is almost instant too." I activated my bloodline as I continued, "the only drawback is that the technique requires precision, which requires me to have no burdens to my vision. That's why I'm wearing this ribbon to keep my hair out of the way. The amount of chakra used to attack at such speeds is almost impossible unless one has almost perfect chakra control. Chakra depletion is almost a guarantee, and I myself can have a bodily shutdown if that happens. Regardless, if performed correctly, the Eight Trigrams One Thousand twenty-four Strikes is almost always a guaranteed kill. It's considered an assassination technique because the speed at which it is executed." I looked to see the blonde giving me an amazed look.

"How fast is this technique?" Temari asked, suddenly sounding fearful.

"Between six to eight seconds. Well, Neji takes about nine most times, but his strength makes up for it I suppose." I replied.

"What?! That many strikes in that amount of time?!" Temari exclaimed, clearly unable to believe it.

"That's why chakra is consumed so heavily. Combine that with using the Byakugan, the concept of using chakra in every blow, and the fact that it also requires chakra to go at such speeds, and you're bound to be on the end of your thread at the end of the attack. That's why it's a kinjutsu.

"Well, if me drenching the woman in water to weigh her down will help you, than I'll do what I can." Temari said with a sigh, gripping her fan as she stared ahead at Konan.

"Thank you, Temari. Hanabi-chan, I want you to provide me with cover while I gather enough chakra, okay?" Hanabi merely nodded at my request. I stared at the missing-nin, and her chakra coils became clear as day.

This was all or nothing, and I couldn't afford to fail. Not while everyone else was fighting as well. These people were going to kill Naruto if they managed to succeed, and then they would begin to take over the shinboi world. No...I cannot fail here...I _will _not fail here...

**(Pain's P.O.V)**

I jumped away as another blast of flames blew past me from Jiraiya. The man was quite good for his age, and he had managed to hold his own fairly well against me and my four other counterparts. The fifth one was currently out scouting the surrounding area. It was becoming quite annoying, seeing the man who was quite older than me managing to do so well against me. I was holding back, however.

I turned to see the woman fighting Tobi summon a jet black snake that stood at least one hundred feet in length. So, that was the new clan leader of the snake summons. Looking nearby the port revealed Itachi holding his own against three Leaf nin with relative ease, while Zetsu was merely avoiding attacks from the Inuzuka boy, his dog, and the Akimichi boy. Kisame was having a bit of trouble with a Sea-nin, who was busy slicing away at the former Kirigakure shinobi's Water Sharks. Then there was Konan, who was a little ways from my own battle. She was busy avoiding waves of water while dodging the younger Hyuuga girl's attacks. Meanwhile, the older of the Hyuuga sisters was gathering a large amount of chakra.

I suddenly recieved some information as the vision of my body scouting the surrounding area caught sight of the Kyuubi boy. He was followed by two Konoha Chunin, and they were moving at an amazing pace, most likely heading towards this battle. Everything was falling into place, I thought.

"Soon, very soon, are goals will be complete..."

**end of Chap. 22 - Well, now the fun begins. Things will be escalating soon, I can gurantee that. What will happen next? Well, what do you think, eh? I've been known to throw a curveball into my plots...just think for awhile about it. Oh, I'm sure a few of you can guess...others, maybe not. Either way, the next chapter couple chapters will be real important for our Jinchuuriki hero. So, look forward to the next chapter soon. Things will be getting intense soon. Until then, keep on reading!**


	24. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto-sama owns Naruto...not Denim88-san...**

**Chapter 23: Confrontation**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I stared down a vantage point from the cliff that Moegi, Konohamaru, and I stood on. I watched as our forces and Akatsuki battled each other. I saw that everyone was occupied with one of the S-rank criminals...except one person. I searched frantically.

"Sakura-chan? Where is she??" I said, feeling my concern growing as I failed to find her among the battles.

"Naruto-kun...she's over there." Moegi replied, pointing towards a large pillar that I failed to see before.

Upon seeing her unconcious and tied to a pillar by some kind of blue chakra-enhanced bindings, I felt Kyuubi's chakra flare within me again, "Sakura-chan..." I ground my teeth together. Damn it, I was afraid that this would happen to her.

"What should we do?" came the voice of Konohamaru.

"Be ready to help Inari down there. He has his hands full with Kisame's Water Shark Jutsu..." I spoke, and felt my temper growing. No...I can't lose my temper, Kyuubi and I had trained too long to lose my control.

"N-Naruto...you're..." Moegi was trying to speak as she saw two red tails of chakra waving behind me. I took in a deep breath as I let my flaring chakra settle to a steady pulse. Kyuubi would give me what I needed as long as I could control it.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of things Moegi-chan. I won't let anyone get killed while I'm here, understood?" I asked, and was glad to see them smile a bit as they nodded.

I turned down to the battle, and let out a growl. Oh...they would pay...one way or another, they would pay for hurting Sakura-chan and doing this to her.

**(Konan's P.O.V)**

I soon found myself drenched in water. I had figured out their plan to slow me down, but avoiding the attacks of water was much harder to do when you had a Hyuuga tailing you the whole time. What bothered me though wasn't the water, but the third person I was fighting. She had not moved an inch since she had removed her sandals and tied her hair back. Her chakra was practically visible though, and that much chakra couldn't have been used simply for a light show.

Another wave of water pushed me back, and I heard the wind-maiden yell out, "Now, Hinata!"

I looked at the Hyuuga girl, and was surprised to see a blurry afterimage of the girl. A mere second passed, and I found the girl make impact with my chest. I felt myself barraged nonstop as the Hyuuga continually smashed my insides and chakra coils to pieces. I couldn't even perform a simple substitution with my paper being weighed down by the water. It must have only been four seconds, but it seemed like an eternity to me. The girl was moving around me as she cracked my spine with a strong kick, and I felt the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. She must have ruptured a few organs by now. A second later, I felt a few kicks and palm thrusts in the abdominal area, and now I was sure my stomach had been destroyed.

After about seven seconds, I saw her stop to deliver a kick into my sternum, and a sickening crack could be heard. She jumped back, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. She breathed out deeply as her chakra aura faded; she had exhausted herself...but she had won. About twenty seconds passed, and I stood there, my vision getting fuzzy. I coughed up a bit of blood, and felt a sharp sting in my chest. Great, now my heart was damaged too. I felt warm liquid run down my nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. Truly a powerful techinique...

I felt myself wobble a bit, and I soon found it impossible to breath. I looked to the image of the girl, and I think I heard her say, "This is the power of the Eight Trigrams One Thousand Twenty-four strikes, my most powerful technique."

I simply looked at her, and noticed a few tears running down her eyes before my vision went black. My insides were torn to ribbons now, and I was technically dead. As the darkness swallowed me up, I let one thought cross my mind...

_'Pain...I'm sorry...I failed...'_

**(Anko's P.O.V)**

I stood on the head of Mankou, grinning as the man named Tobi dodged the giant snake's tail. I patted the snake's head, and recieved a groan from him, "Anko, stop it please..."

"Aw, Mankou-kun, I can't help it. You're such a sweet cold-blooded reptile." I said as I threw a few kunai at the man, causing him to block with one of his own. I could tell that he was not fighting for real, and that ticked me off. I just recently got promoted to Jounin, so I felt a bit insulted that he wasn't taking me more seriously.

"Anko, the more appropriate term would be ectothermic...not cold-blooded." Mankou corrected, and I rolled my eyes, but I decided to say nothing further about the topic.

"Well, thanks for coming through for me. He was giving me alot of trouble before. He seems to wield the Sharingan." I stated.

Mankou nodded, "No problem...it's the least I can do for you, Anko."

I smiled as the jet-black snake lunged at the man, narrowly crushing the masked man in his jaws. Mankou was considered to be a radicalist in the snake summon clan. He had managed to convince the clan to accept only a small offering of blood for the summoning jutsu, unlike his father Manda, who asked for one hundred human sacrifices for every summoning.Mankou was still quite young as far as clan leaders go, but he was about three-fourths the size of what his father had been. Mankou wore a Konoha hitai-ite around his large neck (I had no clue where he found such a large headband), and was actually much gentler outside of battle. This was one reason why he and his father never saw eye to eye; Manda had considered his son weak. When Manda died, Mankou took charge of the clan, as he was the rightful heir. His taking of position caused an immediate uproar in the world of summons. Even the small slug summons Sakura used for messages were aware of what going on.

Since the day Orochimaru and Sasuke had died, I was the lone true summoner of the snake clan. However, I never summoned many of the large snakes, since that required human sacrifices. I had been hesitant in using the snake summoning jutsu, fearing that if I did, the summon may just kill me so that the clan could start a new contract. To my great surprise, I had summoned the new leader Mankou, and he held in his mouth a fresh new contract, with all new agreements (including the banning of human sacrifices). Mankou had longed rallied for this change, and Manda had been his main obstacle. He only furthered his image as a radical when he made peace among the toad and slug clans, with a majority of the snake clan's support. Apparantly more than a few snakes had been waiting for change.

The jet black snake let out another frustrated hiss as he missed Tobi, "I believe you're right, Anko. He seems to be able to pick up on my movements before they happen. How could he possess the Sharingan though? Aside from Itachi and Kakashi-san, no one else could possibly hold it...right?"

I sighed with a shrug of my shoulders, "I don't know...but we have to do what we can until Jiraiya can get that Pain guy to lower this barrier around us...huh?" I stopped talking as I turned towards a direction where a powerful force of chakra was coming from, "No...Naruto's here...this isn't good."

Mankou turned towards the boy, and gave let out a sound of amusement, "So, that is the boy that you believe will possibly be the next Hokage?"

"Not possibly, Mankou. He _will _be the next Hokage...but right now, he shouldn't be here. These freaks are after the Kyuubi inside him, and even with the fox's chakra, it may not be enough."

Mankou groaned, "Great, that makes things much more difficult for us."

I nodded, and turned back to Jiraiya's battle with five other figures...all which seemed to be somehow a part of this 'Pain' character.

"Hey, it seems the fox-boy saved us the trouble of looking for him!" came the voice of Tobi. I looked down at him and growled while Mankou hissed.

"Don't even think about it! I won't let you touch one hair on that boy's head!" I yelled as I gathered chakra, "Mankou, let's do that technique."

Mankou nodded, "Got it."

Tobi laughed, "Whoa, what's with the attitude? You his girlfriend or something...no wait, we already captured her..."

I smirked, "That boy has shown alot of people over the years of what he's capable of. My very own husband taught that boy when he was merely an academy student. I've watched Naruto grow into a fine young shinobi, and I believe in his dream, like so many others. I have a few dreams of my own, but watching him lead the village is one that I can say him and I both share."

I jumped into the air and went through a series of seals as Mankou coiled himself into a spring like stance, ready to lunge, "Fire Style: Infernal Serpent Flames Jutsu!"

Mankou lugned at the man as the flames surrounded the giant snake. Mankou was soon a living coil of flames, and with a great hiss, smashed into the water where Tobi stood. A great explosion caused water and steam to erupt all around. I landed on the water as Mankou swiftly appeared behind me with speed like that of a ninja. Across the wreakage stood the shed skin of Mankou, still smoldering as it crumbled into pieces.

"Well...did it work?"

Mankou shook his head, "That guy's holding back on us...I don't think I even singed him."

We both turned to the sound of clapping, and I was not surprised to see the man with the swirling mask walking through the steam while applauding, "Wow, that was a pretty cool jutsu. Too bad it didn't work..."

I let out a curse as I looked to Naruto, and then to Jiraiya, "Damn it, hurry up take that barrier down you pervert..."

**(Sakura's P.O.V)**

I opened my eyes and groaned as I felt a dull pain throb in the back of my head. I tried to remember what happened...something...or someone...

"Akatsuki!" I said, suddenly remembering the black cloaked organization.

"Yeah, tell me about it." came a disgruntled voice. I looked to see Shikamaru crouching down next to me.

"Shikamaru? What's going on?"

He sighed, "Man, what a drag...Akatsuki's managed to block off any support from Umigakure, and we're all engaged with the criminals right now. I came here after Anko told me to see what I could do to get you out of these bindings...but it turns out their made of chakra."

I gave him a nod, "Just give me a minute..." I gathered some strength into my arms and legs, "Hruuuuugh!!!!" The chakra bindings gave way after I felt my skin bruise a bit.

Shikamaru gave me a bewildered look, "Geez, way to go Sakura."

I took in a deep breath and looked around me, "Where's Naruto?"

Shikamaru pointed out towards an a hill looking over the port, "He's there with Konohamaru and Moegi...those two managed to avoid getting caught within the battle, so they went to look for the knucklehead while we fought Akatsuki. Everyone of the known members is here from the organization...and with Naruto here, things could get worse."

I nodded, "Thanks, Shika, I appreciate you coming here to help, even if it didn't help. I think you should go help Kiba and Chouji...that Zetsu guy is giving them trouble..."

Shikmaru got up and bounded off towards the shore, "Be careful, Sakura. You know how Naruto gets when you're in danger..."

I nodded, and ran towards the edge of the barrier where Naruto and the other two were standing, "Naruto, is everything okay?"

Naruto nodded, "I'm fine, and Moegi and Konohamaru are okay too..." he paused, and the two tails behind him whipped a bit, "Did they hurt you...?"

I nodded, "It's okay, I think they just knocked me out with a blow to the head."

He growled, "Those jerks...they think I'll give in because of this?" He motioned for Konohamaru and Moegi to step back, and after they were a safe distance, he spoke again after examining the barrier, "Sakura...do you think you can make a Rasengan?"

I stared at the transparent barrier that warped the air around it a little, "Not one with enough power to destroy this...that's assuming I'm still good enough at making a complete Rasengan."

Naruto nodded, "Right...then I suggest that you back up a bit," he formed a ram seal, and two clones came into existence, tails flaring to life, "Let's do this..." The two nodded, and started making circular motions in his right hand.

"Naruto...you're not going to...you know what that does to you..."

"Sakura-chan, you know that I'm able to control it better than I used to." he said without looking away from the miniature cyclone in his palm.

"Just...be careful..."

He grinned, and dispelled the two clones. He cocked back his hand, and then he yelled, "Rasenshuriken!!!"

The powerful attack began to grind away at the barrier, and he quickly applied more chakra to it as a small hole poked through the barrier. Minutes passed, and eventually the barrier shattered to pieces.

Naruto fell over, but caught himself before he plunged through the water's surface, "Heh, some barrier that was." he coughed, and smirked as he looked at his slightly charred hand. He had definitely improved. I did a quick scan of his arm as Kyuubi's chakra became only a light aura around him, and concluded that he had not broken anything. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw that the demon fox had already begun to heal his burns.

I knelt down to help with the healing, but a cry of pain in the distance caught all of our attention. I turned to look, and Konohamaru spoke, "Oh no, Jiraiya-sama!"

Jiraiya was standing on the water as six separate figures surrounded him. I don't remember a sixth one being there before...how did that guy arrive? My medical knowledge told me that Jiraiya's injuries were most likely fatal, unless treated immediately. I stopped my healing on Naruto's arm as everyone else paused around us to stare. The battles seemed to stop now, "Jiraiya-sama..." I whispered, and noticed the man cough up some blood...no, not just some..._alot_.

"No..." I heard Naruto say behind me, and I felt a wave of heat flare behind me, "_Ero-sannin!!!!_"

**(Jiraiya's P.O.V)**

I felt my mouth open as more blood dribbled down my chin. I stared at the six men before me; all of them a person I had faced in my lifetime...I grinned as I looked to the face of the boy I had known as Yahiko.

"So ends the life of another Sannin." spoke the emotionless voice of the man I knew as Yahiko. His Rin'negan eyes stared at me with no hint of feeling.

I grunted in pain as all six spear like weapons were yanked out of me simutaneously. Despite the pain, I kept grinning.

"You really...t-think that...you can...so easily bring...your idea of peace...t-to the world?" I smirked as I laughed while the pain burned in my abdomen.

"You shouldn't waste your time with such wasted questions. Of course I will..." replied the Pain with the longest length of hair, a man that had been of the Fuuma clan that I had given a gash on the forehead with.

"You know...I thought until know that you really were the child chosen to change the world...but it turns out I was wrong..." I looked ahead as I noticed the blonde boy I had trained for quite a few years now, "You aren't the chosen one...my godson is..."

The body of Yahiko stared at me and raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? You don't have a godson."

I laughed, "Yes I do...and he's going to be the Hokage someday...I know it. Naruto will lead the world into a new era for all shinobi when he takes the seat of the leader of the Leaf village."

The six mean said nothing, but raised their spears towards my neck. I guess this is it...some way to be killed...I closed my eyes as I awaited my demise.

To my great surprise, it never came. I opened my eyes only to see that I was being held in the arms of Naruto, who was a safe distance from the six men. Pain raised a hand, and all the members of Akatsuki assembled around him. He dispelled the other forms of himself, leaving only the form of Yahiko standing there, "So...you've finally decided to show up, Jinchuuriki..." spoke Pain.

Naruto growled as he turned towards the group of Konoha nin, "Take care of him, please..." he turned to Sakura, and I swore I heard him stifle a sob, "Sakura-chan...please...don't let him..."

Sakura nodded, "I'll do all that I can..."

Naruto nodded, and looked to me as Kakashi took a hold of me, "Don't give up on me, Ero-sannin...don't you _dare_ give up on me!" he said as he wiped away a stray tear. With that being said, he turned towards the group of criminals standing off in the distance. His whole body shook, and I saw three tails form. He raised his head, looked back towards me and the others, then back to the group of nuke-nin. He threw his head back and let out a roar, "_**Akatsuki!!!**_**"**

I heard a few of the others around me gasp as he began to create whirlwinds of chakra around him. They flew around us and past us, but surprisingly none of them hurt. They sure were hot, but I remember Yamato saying that when he encountered Orochimaru all those years back that his chakra had been much more violent when he was in his three tailed state, "Naruto...you've come so far..." I whispered.

Sakura knelt down by me, "Jiraiya-sama, try and stay awake. I'm going to try and stabilize you, but if you pass out, I can't guarantee that I can help you. You've lost too much blood for me to do any real healing, but if I can stabilize you, then we can take proper measures to heal you afterwards." she then turned to Naruto, "Jiraiya-sama...is he going to...do _that_?" she had a worried look on her face as she looked at me again.

I stared towards the blonde, and let out a painful sigh, "I believe so. If what he's said is true, it will be the first time he's truly gone to that level of power..."

The boy known as Kiba cut in, "Whoa, whoa, slow down! What are you two talking about?"

I was about to answer, but Sakura beat me to it, "Naruto's going to probably access the fifth tail of the Kyuubi...which was considered impossible a few years back when he still was on 'bad' terms with the Kyuubi...now that he and Kyuubi are on friendly terms though, Naruto has almost a hundred percent control while in this new state...or so he claims he should."

Everyone gasped, and I wasn't suprised. Aside from Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, Rin, Sakura, and myself, no one knew of Naruto's new ability...though I do recall Naruto telling me that he briefed Gaara on this information as well. I turned towards the soon to be battleground, and noticed Naruto developing a sphere of red chakra as he began to gather power. I heard Naruto's pained growls as he continued to gather chakra from the demon fox. He had found a way to counter the effects on his cells in the four tailed state somehow...but the transformation process took a bit longer as a result. This left a window of oppurtunity for Akatsuki to attack...but none of them had yet to make a move.

"Naruto..." I said, watching as the blonde boy's power began to climb by leaps and bounds. He was ready...

**end of Chap.23- Yes! I've finally reached this point in the story! I've been waiting forever for this part to happen! The next chapter will be a great one, I guarantee it! I hope you enjoyed this one, yes, a little on the short side, but I will be bringing the length up some in the upcoming chapters. Naruto's fifth tail form will be revealed soon enough. What is the mysterious fifth form of Naruto's? Will he be able to take on this powerful enemy with his new power? Or is the battle only just begun for our heroes? The fate of our heroes rests on the shoulders of one boy. Who will win? Find out next time on Dragonball Z...sorry couldn't resist, lol. Well, later!**


	25. Breaking the Limits

**Disclaimer: Yeah, still don't own Naruto. I'll let you all know when I get around to it...just as soon as I figure out how to solve a rubix cube...**

**Chapter 24: Breaking the Limits**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I stood there on the water, red chakra forming a dome around me. I felt my chakra begin to climb to higher and higher levels, and soon I was on the verge of going into my fourth tail.

**"Kit...careful now...mess this up, and it could do you more harm than good..."** came the booming voice of demon tenant. I nodded as I stared down each remaining member of Akatsuki, and felt my skin begin to burn. No, I can't mess this up...I have to maintain control...and transform the proper way...

I stopped crouching and increasing my chakra, and stood up on my legs as I took in a deep breath, than exhaled. I had to control my temper...use my anger in a better way.

Kisame laughed, "Heheh, what's the matter brat? Why did you stop gathering chakra?"

I smirked, "Oh, don't worry...I'm far from done gathering power...I just need a minute..." I replied as I began to concentrate on Kyuubi's chakra and my own.

"Whatever the case, it won't make a difference on your part, Uzumaki...you're still coming with us either way. It is inevitable..." spoke the man named Pain.

"Just wait...I'll make you take back that statement once I'm through with you." I began to focus on the two intermingling chakras within me, and I felt a small tug on my coils. I was gathering too much chakra from Kyuubi at one time...but I had a way around that.

"So, then what did you have planned for us Naruto-kun?" questioned the masked man named Tobi. I looked up to him, and the ball of chakra around me began to grow darker.

"Don't worry, I'm about to show you my most powerful state yet..." I clapped my hands together as I began to combine my chakra and Kyuubi's together...

**(Kakashi's P.O.V)**

"Wha...what's he...?" I said, feeling the earth around me begin to tremble.

Jiraiya smiled as he coughed a bit, "He...he's going to combine Kyuubi's and his own chakra coils into one..."

"_What_???" I asked, staring on at Naruto as he began to cry out in a feral manner as the red chakra and his own began to intermingle. I lifted my headband, and watched in awe as Naruto's body flared like a bonfire of chakra. It was incredible. Naruto was indeed combining the two chakras into one steady flow.

Waves began to crash alongside the docks, and a few of the smaller ones began to break as the waves continued to grow in strength. A wind picked up as Naruto became shrouded in red, and a fourth tail began to grow ever so slowly.

"Is he really...capable of this...?" I asked, but was interrupted as Konohamaru shouted out.

"What's Naruto doing?!" yelled the Sarutobi.

We all turned to see Naruto crying out to the heavens, and his body began to change. Instead of his skin peeling away though, he simply became covered in a layer of red chakra. His yelling continued to increase, becoming more and more pained as he continued to gather power. Hanabi, Moegi, Inari, and Konohamaru were all on their knees from being so weighed down by the chakra. I myself was having trouble standing and holding Jiraiya.

The winds began to pick up speed, and a few of the weaker trees near the port were ripped from their roots. All of the docks had been destroyed by Naruto's power, and he still wasn't finished.

"Naruto...just how powerful have you become...?" I asked myself while squinting as the chakra was nearly blinding my Sharingan.

**(Sakura's P.O.V)**

I watched as Naruto became the image I remember of him in his four tailed state. Crouching on all fours, long, fox like ears, four flaring, red tails. His eyes were pure white, and his mouth was the same. He didn't seem finished though, he was still gathering chakra. I didn't need to be a doctor to see that the transformation was really painful. His muscles seemed to bulge a bit, and he was screaming for all that his lungs were worth. His voice was laced with the Kyuubi's, yet I could still hear his voice over the demon fox's.

"Naruto..." I said, feeling my body shake as he began to burn a bright orange. His bubble of chakra around him began to glow and pulse every now and then. I just prayed that Naruto would make it through this all right.

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

Pain...

That was all I felt as my body pulsed with Kyuubi's raw and untamed chakra. I could feel sweat pouring out of my body as my temperature began to rise. Steam began to rise as I continued to focus on Kyuub's power. Soon I would have to go to the next step...and the riskiest one too.

**"Focus, Kit...don't lose control of my chakra, or this will be all for nothing!" **Kyuubi roared as my mindscape began to churn with the waters of the sewer like maze of Kyuubi's chambers.

Sasuke spoke to me, his voice yelling to speak over the sound of chakra rushing through my body, _"Naruto, you're almost there! Just a few more seconds and Kyuubi and you will be ready to complete the transformation!"_

Then...I found it...the focal point of where Kyuubi and my chakra began to intermingle...and I began to focus on the seal on my stomach.

My yelling was sounding more like Kyuubi's by the second. A small stream of light began to stretch out into the sky, and I felt my body become weighed down with all of the raw power.

"It's...now...or never..." I grunted, and began to focus on the flow of Kyuubi's chakra coils. He leaked chakra into my seal, and my stomach glowed with a yellow light as my seal became visible. Inside the chambers of Kyuubi, a line of chakra connected me to the Kyuubi; a line of pure chakra. This was the most difficult part...

I felt myself become stronger...faster...bigger...my muscles began to grow a little more and another tail began to form. The chakra like fur began to thicken, and my pupiless eyes began to form my irises again, with a red color. My canines became more defined, my nails became more sharpened.

I felt myself begin to lift off the water, and I felt like I was about to explode. It hurt so much!!!

Then...Kyuubi's chakra and my chakra began to flow in a single stream...and the chakra line connecting us began to transfer chakra back and forth between Kyuubi and myself...

...it was time...

**"Now, Kit!!!!!" **roared Kyuubi.

I opened my eyes, and let loose a primal roar as chakra literally exploded out of my body. The red ball of chakra around me shattered, and I let out wave after wave of my new chakra; a chakra that was a combination of my own and Kyuubi's. We had successfully combined our chakra...and my capabilities were now far greater than what I could have achieved in my fourth tail form.

I let out one final yell, and a stream of light shot into the heavens as I blasted water in every direction, hearing rocks and powerful waves go past as I did so. A few of the smaller buildings near the port began to crumble, but I didn't pay worry to them.

**(Itachi's P.O.V)**

I watched as Naruto Uzumaki changed into his supposedly stronger form. I realized soon afterwards that he was indeed being truthful; this form was much more powerful. Just standing at the distacnce we were at seemed to burn our skin to some degree.

"Impressive...he seems to have been able to bring his chakra and the Kyuubi's in sync with each other...neither one is outweighing the other." I spoke as my Sharingan swirled. I readied myself to activate my Mangekyou if necessary. Naruto's power had increased by at least five times that of his four tailed state.

There stood the boy that had once been a mere man a few minutes ago. Now, he was standing before us, covered in fur with five tails waving behind him. His irises were a deep red, and black markings surrounded the fur around the eyes. His fur was a dark orange, much like the Kyuubi's had been. His hands were still human in appearance, although he now had sharp nails. The same went for his feet.

However, the most distinguishing feature of this new form was his stomach. There, glowing brightly in yellow was the seal left behind by the Yondaime that sealed the Kyuubi within Naruto. It gave off a light that resembled magma flowing under molten lava, and the flow of chakra was constantly being let out from there.

"Sorry for the wait...I haven't really had a shot at actually performing this transformation, so I hope you can over look that." Naruto said in a taunting voice. He flexed a hand, and a flare of light seemed to explode from him. He stretched a bit, and I sensed the air warp with every movement...indeed...very impressive.

"We attack now. His power is much greater than before, and he could pose a possible threat to us." Pain spoke.

I went through a few hand seals, and blasted out a jet of flames. Naruto seemed to raise a hand, and my attack seemed to be stopped by an invisible force, leaving an explosion of fire in front of him. He turned to me and smirked, fangs showing as he did, "Itachi...what was _that_? If you're going to attack me, try to put a little more effort into it. I know you were holding back on me."

Very perceptive...he was able to realize that right away. The five of us ran at the Jinchuuriki from different angles, and he never moved an inch as we did. Just as Kisame came within reach, Naruto quickly grabbed him, and with a swish of one tail, knocked him across the battle field and into a rockface. We stopped in our tracks, realizing he wasn't to be taken lightly. He nodded as we did, "So you see that I'm not toying around...good," he looked at us with a fierce glare, "Well, _we _don't really like the idea of being captured so that we can die and be sealed within a statue, so maybe you should just give up...we _won't _be giving into your demands..." he finished his sentence with a growl, and shot out a arm of red chakra at us.

We all dove out of the way of the chakra claw, only to see that Naruto had planned ahead. He shot two more arms out, catching both Zetsu and Tobi with his arms. He swung his arms around a few times, and then while maintaining a hold of them, slammed them into a nearby cliff. He kept a hold over them, and channeled chakra into his chakra arms. A visible ball of light was sent through each arm holding the two down, and the two energy balls exploded as they reached Tobi and Zetsu.

Naruto retracted his chakra arms, and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the large craters that had been where Zetsu and Tobi once were, "You can quite hiding, I know that didn't hit." spoke the Jinchuuriki boy.

Tobi and Zetsu reappeared from the water near us, and Kisame soon landed by us, chuckling a bit, "The kid's definitely stronger."

Naruto stared us all down, and then rested his gaze on me, eyes locked with mine, "Itachi...today, you die."

Naruto began going through a few seals, and then shouted, "Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet!!" An enormous sized blast of air shot at us, aimed for me in particular. I knew that trying to stop it would be useless; there was too much chakra. I jumped to the side, and sent a Shadow Clone at Naruto.

"Shadow Clone Explosion!" I shouted, and the blast sent out a shockwave as it hit Naruto. I waited for the water to settle as I noticed Naruto standing there, tails covering him as he slowly got out of a sheilding stance.

"Are you finished?" Naruto spoke as he backed up against a rockface, as though he was bracing himself, "I guess that makes it our turn then..." Naruto began to draw more chakra, and he puffed out his chest as his body began to glow. The seal on his stomach turned a bright red, and the boy's body began to inflate to impossible levels as he gathered a unnatural amount of chakra.

I watched with my Sharingan as Naruto remained motionless for a few seconds, and light began to leak out of his mouth. He let out a growl, and then gripped onto the rocks. He lowered his head to face me, and opened his mouth. A large blast of raw chakra shot out at blinding speeds, and I was pretty sure that if my Sharingan wasn't active, I would have been dead. I quickly moved out of the path...but I wasn't fast enough. I felt an indescribable pain as my right arm was blown off, effectively cauterizing the skin as well, therefore it never bled.

"He's...definitely improved..." I spoke, trying to ignore the pain.

**(Sakura's P.O.V)**

"That was...whoa..." I heard Kiba say as he watched the blast from Naruto destroy Itachi's arm.

Naruto had hardly moved more than a few steps in the time he had transformed, yet he had already tossed Kisame like a ragdoll and made Itachi lose a limb. I couldn't believe it. The most interesting thing was Naruto wasn't acting savage in the least. He was angry, I could tell, but he remained composed too.

I felt the haggard coughs of Jiraiya as I put a palm over the Toad Sage, trying to heal what I could at the moment. He seemed to be recovering, but I doubted the damage wouldn't have permanent effects on the Sannin.

"Naruto just blew off Itachi's arm," I said to the Sannin, and he simply smiled.

"Heh, the Uchiha had it coming I guess..." Jiraiya joked, and took in a deep breath, "Sakura...tell me...just how much of a chance do I have at living...through this...?" he coughed up some more blood, and it was starting to look dark and gooey.

I frowned, "I can't say. I had Inari and Shikamaru go and send for a medical unit, it should be some time. Once they arrive we can begin to take the proper measures to try and help you. I'll do everything in my power to heal you, Jiraiya-sama."

"He loves you...you know." Jiraiya spoke quietly.

"I know he does. I love him with all of my heart too."

Jiraiya nodded, "He told me he regained the memory of when he attacked you those years back when he transformed into his four-tailed state during the mission to intercept Kabuto's information to Sasori...he was upset quite a bit about that..."

I sighed, "He should know by now that I never blamed him for that. He wasn't himself, and it was only because Kyuubi and he couldn't tell the difference between friend and foe..."

Jiraiya looked to me, "You know...he told me the reason he decided to achieve the fifth tail was so he would never do that again..." Jiraiya coughed a bit before he continued, "...he told me that he and Kyuubi originally took on the task of achieving five tails so they could protect his precious people with everything he has at his disposal. So far, he's proven it to be a powerful tool."

"I don't want him to feel guilty about what happened...I'm not helpless anymore..." I continued to heal what I could as Naruto and the group of nuke-nin battled on.

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I stood there as Itachi began to breath heavily. He growled a bit as he looked at me, "You're not weak anymore...that's good."

I nodded, "You were expecting anything less? I'll be honest Itachi, you're a tough opponent...one of my toughest. However, there's one thing you should have never done. Hurting Sakura-chan like you did was a big mistake."

I focused on the group before me, and took in a deep breath, "I've had enough of these games...time to get serious..." I pushed off the rockface, and sprinted on all fours towards the group. I felt light as a feather as I moved, thanks to Kyuubi's chakra. It enhanced my muslce mass and gave me more strength, allowing me to push off with greater force.

I spun around to whip my tails at the missing nin. They jumped away, and avoided the attack. I giant wave was sent out to see by my attack, as well as a large gust of wind. I regained my footing on the water, and turned to look at Kisame, who was going through a set of seals.

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!!!!" a large spinning mass of water rocketed at me. I raised my hands and blocked the attack, forcing the water to stop it's movement. Kisame had a look of anger on his face, and he went at me with his Samehade, ready to shave of my skin, "Time for a hair cut, you fox bastard!!!!"

I managed to grab a hold of the odd sword, and Kisame looked at me incredously, "Kisame...your sword drains chakra, correct?"

Kisame gave a growl, "What about it, gaki?"

"I was just wondering _how much _chakra this sword can possibly drain before it becomes too much..." I smiled as I began to pump more and more chakra into the sword. Kisame seemed to catch on, and began to try and pull his weapon away.

"Let go of my sword, you brat!!!!" he yelled as the sword began to shake and glow red. Smoke started to come off the surface, and I smelled the scent of burning flesh as Kisame's skin began to burn from holding his heated sword.

I watched as the sword began to shake a bit, and cracked a bit, and a whistling sound could be heard that resembled that of a kettle that was letting out steam.

Samehade exploded as bits of shrapnel from the sword flew everywhere. Kisame yelled in pain as bits of the sword imbedded into his face. I felt bits of the sword puncture my face. I growled in pain, but immediately my chakra began to heal my wounds. In a matter of seconds, my wounds were gone.

"Heh...well, so much for your little toy, Kisame." I said, gripping his other hand while channeling chakra into his hands. He growled in agony, and I could see his blue skin peel away.

I surrounded the two of us in Kyuubi's chakra. Kisame was howling in pain as I continued to increase my chakra. I opened a palm and formed a ball of spinning chakra.

"Well, looks like it's over Kisame...any last words...?" I growled as Rasenshuriken formed in my hand.

"Go...to hell...Kyuubi-brat.." he growled as his arm began to form blisters and turn black.

**"That's too bad...I believe you'll be waiting awhile for me then...since I don't think Kit's going there...but I'm a differnt story..."** spoke Kyuubi through my vocal cords.

Kisame's eyes widened, "Wha-?"

"Heh, well, I'll try and make it quick for you Kisame...die!!!!" I pulled back my hand, "Rasenshuriken!!!!" I slammed it into Kisame's chest, and jumped back as my attack began to shred Kisame apart.

I watched as the missing-nin exploded. Unlike when I used my powerful technique in my normal state, Kyuubi's chakra caused the victim to not only be shredded to the molecular level, but also caused them to explode from the sheer amount of chakra. I watched as blood showered the area.

I turned to the other Akatsuki members, and again my eyes rested on Itachi's. It was thanks to Kyuubi's ability to deflect most chakra that most of his genjutsu didn't work.

"Which of you is next then...?" I asked, clenching my fist, sending a small tremor to ripple throughout the port. I didn't have much more time. I had to take things up a notch...

**(Pain's P.O.V)**

I stared at the Kyuubi container. This boy knew how to manipulate the Kyuubi to the point where he and his Jinchuuriki were able to stay in constant sync with each other. Yes...he did kill Kisame...but this only further drove my desire to capture the Kyuubi. The power that Bijuu possessed was the last key needed to gain world dominance and bring about a new era...

Soon our goals would be reached...

**end of Chap. 24- Well, there it is. Five tailed Naruto's appearance has been made. Just to let you know, Naruto hasn't used all his power yet while in this form. He's holding back a bit...for obvious reasons. I'll explain next chapter why that is. Anyway, I hope you like this. Kind of been updating my other fics lately, so I felt I needed to get on the ball with this one. There's still more to come. Well, R&R and let me know what you think. Until we meet again, I'll see you all later!**


	26. A Long Awaited Punishment

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...but I do own my idea of what Naruto would look like in his five-tailed form, so there!!! Rawwr!!!**

**Chapter 25: A Long Awaited Punishment**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I continued to look at my enemies as my chakra began to increase again. I hunched over a bit, and tried to ignore the pain. Dang, this chakra fusing really had a bad side-effect on me and Kyuubi.

"I'll have to end this quickly...but that might destroy the village as well...unless..." I looked towards the port, and noticed the others were still watching me, "Everyone, get to the village now!" For a moment, they didn't move, and I groaned, "What are you still standing there for? _**GO!!!!**_" the suddenly jumped as I added a bit of Kyuubi's voice to my own, and was relieved to see them do as I had asked.

"Well, it seems you're alone now, Uzumaki..." Pein said as he narrowed his ringed eyes at me, "...a fitting way to end a Jinchuuriki's life I suppose."

"Can it..." I spoke, and crouched on all fours, "You should be worried about yourselves right now, _not_ me." I made the ox seal, and grinned, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

As the smoke cleared, twenty similar forms of me with five lashing tails appeared. They all began to form seals at a rapid pace, and the water began to swirl around us.

"Whatever it is, you won't succeed, Uzumaki..." Pein continued, and he went through a few seals as I picked up the pace in channeling chakra faster and faster.

"Heh, this technique was created by the Second Hokage himself." I finished the seals, and my clones all did as well, "Water Style: Water Collision Destruction!!!" A large volume of water shot out from the surface, and with me and my clones' control, we enlarged it to even greater proportions. It was now about the size of an average tornado, and was spinning at a rapid pace. My clones and I directed our attack forward, and it went careening at high speeds towards the four ninja.

**(Pain's P.O.V)**

I jumped to avoid the giant column of water, as did the others. To my great surprise it didn't stop, but began to chase us down as it split into four seperate columns.

"Clever...but..." I finished my handseals that I had been using earlier, and the water around me began to churn as well. Eventually a giant tidal wave formed and crashed into the water spout that had been following me. The Jinchuuriki boy seemed unhindered by this, and focused his efforts on the remaining three. The fool...

I sent a wave at the boy and his Shadow Clones, and was satisfied to hear the popping sounds of twenty clones being destroyed. However, when I noticed the water settle, there was no Jinchuuriki to be found...wait...

I jumped to the side just in time to avoid a blast of red chakra that shot out of the water. Seconds later the five tailed form of Naruto Uzumaki flew out of the water's depths, and landed on a cliff, grasping onto it with chakra.

"Tch, you really think that would be enough to beat me? Come on...you're insulting me." the boy huffed, and I saw that he was indeed looking fatigued. I smirked a bit.

"You're reaching your limit, Uzumaki." I noted, and he growled.

"I only need a few more minutes to finish all four of you off for good!" he snarled, and made numerous seals at a rapid fire pace, "Demonic Art: Five Pillar Summoning Technique!"

The area around us shook, and suddenly five glowing, red pillars shot out of the water. The boy wasn't finished yet though, it seemed...

He made several more seals, and simply slammed his palms into the rocks in front of him. Suddenly, a wall of blazing chakra formed around the pillars and a ceiling covered the top. He had trapped himself and all of us inside.

"So...that was your intention all along...defeat us by means of using all your power without harming the village..." I spoke, recieving a nod from the boy.

"Heh, you're good...yeah, there's a reason why I haven't used my full power yet...but now you'll get to see why."

**(Kyuubi's P.O.V)**

I felt another tug on my chakra, and glanced over to the body of Naruto, who was now in a miniature form of me. He was heaving in air, and trying to remain standing, **"Kit, we don't have much time left..." **I added quickly. He nodded, and growled as the chain of chakra binding us glowed red for a brief moment.

"I know...I just need another moment, then I'll be ready..." Naruto replied.

**"Ready for **_**what**_**?"** not liking the sound of what he was saying.

"I'm going to blow them all into oblivion..." he spoke with a grin, and he looked more like a beast than animal as he did so.

"Hold on, you're not even thinking this through, Naruto." spoke Sasuke, and I agreed with a nod.

**"He's right, Kit. We can't keep burning chakra up like this, you know that the balance we have to maintain here is delicate. Too much, and you could turn into gelatin from the inside out." **I noticed he wasn't listening.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they get what's coming to them..." my container spoke, and I growled in anger.

**"Listen, Naruto, I don't care how powerful we are right now, you're still a human!!! You're body wasn't made to handle such powerful chakra!!! You're body has only been absorbing it for the last nineteen years, but that's still not enough to maintain a resistance to this amount of power!!!"** I shook the chambers for an added emphasis, and Naruto looked to me with a serious expression.

"You think I don't know that?" he dropped his head, "I'm not about to let them get away, not after all the pain they've caused for all those years...I can't let them..." Naruto took in a deep breath, than his eyes widened. Something was happening on the outside world. I quickly scanned his memories...

**"Damn it, stop it now, Kit!!! That attack's powerful no matter how much chakra you have!"**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I opened my mouth and blasted a wave of chakra I had been storing up, shooting it at a ball of black flames, "Dang it...this is the infamous Amaterasu, huh?" I grunted as I tried to maintain my chakra blast's power with my outstretched hands.

Itachi had gone and used his powerful fire technique while I had been concentrating my chakra on my attack, but now that he had interrupted my preparations...well, I would have to start over again...and I didn't have enough time in this form to create another generation of chakra...

"Looks like I'll have to kill you first Itachi..." I grunted to myself, feeling the intense heat of his technique slowly inching closer...it was amazing he was putting up such a fight with an arm missing and such severe damage, _"Sasuke...let's get ready...I'm going to attack Itachi like we planned..."_

There was a brief pause, then, _"Right...I'm ready, Naruto..."_

I roared as I let Amaterasu overpower my blast, and the flames hit me with an explosion of dark, unnatural pain...that is until I began to merge with the chakra that had been used for the technique.

**(Itachi's P.O.V)**

"It seems he was no match for my attack..." I spoke with a nod, and too a second to catch my breath as the others looked around to watch the barrier disentegrate. I was sure we had beat him until I suddenly felt my head throb with pain. I almost lost control of my standing on water, and the others looked to me.

"Itachi, what's wrong?" spoke the lighter half of Zetsu.

"Something...went wrong...with Amaterasu..." I replied, looking to see the roaring black flames dissapear, and oddly enough, so did Naruto, "Uzumaki must have used...some kind of technique to counter my attack..." suddenly my world went black...

I opened my eyes to find myself standing in a black void. I looked around, and noticed I had both of my arms again. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned to see...

"It's been a long time...little brother..." I spoke.

"Hn, so you knew after all..." spoke my dead brother, Sasuke.

"When I had attacked Naruto those days back, I knew that something had gone wrong with my Tsukuyomi...Naruto may be strong with the Kyuubi in him, but I should have been able to break his mind down enough to defeat him...that's when I detected your presence in him...your soul..."

Sasuke smirked, "Don't think that spending all those years with Orochimaru was for nothing...and don't get this confused with his Fushi Tensei...since Naruto is still completely alive and not under my control." Sasuke pulled out his sword, and grimaced, "Nineteen years...and it will end here and now..."

I narrowed my eyes, "You truly think your strong enough to kill me? Naruto has been able to call upon five tails of the Kyuubi, and I still have proven to give him a equal match...however, you haven't gained any strength since you died almost three years ago..."

"He isn't fighting alone though..." came another voice, and I turned to see Naruto Uzumaki, standing by my brother's side all of the sudden.

"I see...so, you two had been working on this for some time then..." I concluded, recieving a nod from the two.

"Consider this place the equivalent of your Tsukuyomi, Itachi...Sasuke's Sharingan powered by Kyuubi and my chakra..." Naruto spoke again, and suddenly found myself pinned to a wooden post. The void turned to a blazing inferno, and I looked in front of me only to be face to face with the Demon Fox.

As the Demon Fox spoke, I heard not a thundering roar, but my brother's voice, "Naruto, Kyuubi, and I are all intertwined as one...and we will take you down here and now..."

"Not if I have something to say about it..." I spoke, and my eyes turned into the pinwheel like design again, revealing the Mangekyou Sharingan.

**"It's futile, human..." **spoke the voice of the Kyuubi this time, and it was now an inch from my face. I could smell its breath, and feel all the killer intent that a mighty demon as itself had. I didn't flinch though...I wouldn't give in to this pathetic excuse of a Genjutsu...

"This isn't a pathetic Genjutsu...just so you know." spoke Naruto, and all three of them were now before me. Sasuke stepped forward, and with a few quick seals, created a Chidori, and Naruto began to channel chakra, as did the Kyuubi. The chakra began to channel into Sasuke's jutsu, and it was now crackling with power that shouldn't be possible...

...I suddenly realized just how real this was.

Looking at Sasuke, I noticed that he had no physical form...he was merely chakra...but...at the same time...he was able to create chakra...

"I know...amazing, isn't it?" Naruto asked, "Sasuke may have no real form aside from spiritual energy and chakra, but he can still create more chakra from chakra...quite a feat..."

I had found myself unable to break out of this dimension...so I tried to generate chakra to perform a technique...but...

**"That won't work...I've sealed away your power..."** rumbled the Kyuubi.

This wasn't good.

Sasuke lifted his hand, which was roaring with chakra that belonged to him, Kyuubi, and Naruto...he was sweating a lot, but he had a determined look in his eyes. His Sharingan spun, and he spoke, "You are about to feel all the pain that you inflicted on our clan...and all the pain Naruto beared with in his life...all of it...in one single attack..."

Without warning, Sasuke plunged his Chidori into my chest, and the pain surged through me. Visions of me killing the clan, the feeling of myself being stabbed by kunai, the Tsukuyomi beign inflicted on me...all of it was thrown at me. I wasn't necessarily affected by it mentally, it was the physical pain that I felt that was causing me to scream in pain. The waves of pain came slowly as I suddenly felt myself being beaten and stabbed by villagers...

...these were Naruto's memories...

I coughed up blood, and it suddenly ended. It felt like I had spent years of nonstop pain within a few seconds...or so I thought. I slowly lifted my head, and felt blood run down my chin, "Heh...still not enough..."

Sasuke said nothing, but looked into my eyes, "I never said that was it...that was just for the clan and Naruto...this..." he formed another Chidori, "This...is to end you...once and for all...Itachi..."

The Chidori formed into a sword like shape, and he plunged it into my wound. I grunted in pain, and he made a seal. The sword sent thousands of volts through my body, and I cried in pain. Naruto and Kyuubi once again channeled chakra into the attack, and I began to smell burning flesh.

"_DIE!!!!!!_" Sasuke sent all the power he had into the attack. The last thought I had was how I had managed to get beaten by my own brother...and how I had failed to achieve the ultimate form of the Sharingan so many years ago when said brother died...

...in the end...Sasuke had proven to be powerful enough...

Slowly but surely, everything began to vanish from sight...the last thing I saw was the burning eyes of my brother, three tomoe of the Sharingan spinning with anger.

**(Sasuke's P.O.V)**

As the infernal blaze dissapeared, and everything began to turn back into the chambers of Naruto's mind, I noticed that Itachi's body was no longer where it had been...I felt my knees shake, and fell over to the ground.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said running to my side. He was once again in his five tailed state, and I could see the chain of chakra connecting his navel to the Kyuubi.

"I'm fine...just...exhausted..." I took a look to see the Kyuubi was once again in his cage.

**"Your life energy is weak...rest now, Naruto and I still have to deal with the other three." **spoke the demon fox, and he looked down on my dead brother's body, **"Hm...it seems his spirit is gone now...we've succeeded in defeating him then."**

I nodded, "Right...well, take care of the others then..."

Naruto nodded, and closed his eyes as he returned to his conscious state.

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I looked ahead to see a scorched, smoking jacket that had once been the property of Itachi Uchiha. Zetsu, Pein, and Tobi were standing to the side, unmoving, and what seemed to be unphased.

"Interesting...so you were able to destroy Itachi within mere seconds..." spoke Tobi, his voice suddenly serious, and fitting for a member of Akatsuki, "Well, you've once again put a huge hole in our plans, Naruto Uzumaki..."

"Heh, that's my job..." I smirked, and looked to the village. I couldn't risk destroying it. I had about two minutes left before my body would give in. I would either pull this off, or fail miserably.

"It seems we underestimated you..." Zestu spoke, **"We should have just sent you to get the boy from the very beginning, Pein."**

"It doesn't pay to dwell on the past...we'll defeat him now, and make modifications to our plans...we can still extract the Kyuubi without Itachi..." spoke the Rinnegan user.

I gathered chakra again, and this time I cast a large dome of red chakra over us. It wouldn't be as efficient as the Five Pillars Summon Barrier...but it would do the needed job, "**Hope you're ready, because I won't be holding back any longer!!!**" I stared to feel my body shake with power, and I coughed up blood.

**"Kit, what are you doing?!?"** roared my tenant Bijuu, **"This was not part of our plan!!!"**

"Sorry..." I smirked, "Kind of had a change in plans I guess."

_"Naruto, what are you thinking?! This is too much chakra!!! Your body's going to destroy itself!!!"_ I heard Sasuke yell.

"Don't worry, I've got it...under control..." I growled, feeling my seal heat up, and it turned gold with light again. Now was the time...

**(Tobi's P.O.V)**

"That's too much chakra..." I spoke, and the others agreed with silent nods, "I'm calling this off, we need to retreat..."

"What about the Jinchuuriki?" Zetsu spoke, **"He's useless to us if he kills himself."**

"Don't worry...we can always find another method of retrieving the Kyuubi...we have all of the time in the world," I spoke, readying myself to get us out when the time was right.

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I was feeling my insides burning, I had to release this chakra, and I had to release it now!

"Akatsuki, today I'm going to defeat you, and end this pointless quest of yours to conquer the world!" I yelled, and formed a single hand seal; the tiger seal. The seal for fire attacks, and lethal jutsu...

I felt a brief moment where all sound stopped within the dome. Time slowed down as I release the monstrous wave of chakra, which lit the entire sky in red.

**(Tobi's P.O.V)**

"Now!" I yelled, and opened a rift in space, and we jumped through it, avoiding the explosion entirely.

**(Sakura's P.O.V)**

I felt a tremor rock the entire village, and got up from my seat on a roof to watch the sky turn a crimson red. A large dome of Kyuubi's chakra had formed, and it suddenly exploded, sending powerful streaks of light and power into the sky. I knew right then and there that something horrible had happened.

"Naruto!!!" I yelled, and began running to the source of power that was now dwindling in light. I could barely feel anything now, and that caused me to run faster. I felt a presence near me, and turned to see Kakashi next to me.

"Sakura, what happened?"

"I don't know, I just felt a sudden spike in Naruto and Kyuubi's chakra, then I saw a huge streak of light shoot into the sky!" I paused as I felt something like a lump of ice settle in my stomach, "Naruto's in trouble...serious trouble..."

Kakashi and I landed at the edge of the port, and I saw a mass floating out in the ocean water.

"Naruto..."

"Hold on, Sakura...I'm coming with." he spoke, and I nodded. We both ran onto the water, and noticed three figures standing suddenly appear. Itachi was not among them though...

"Hm...it seems that the Jinchuuriki boy has gone into a death-like state..." Pein said, looking at the floating body of Naruto, "we cannot use him as of right now..."

The three cloaked men nodded, and before we could do anything, they vanished. I ran up to Naruto, and picked him up out of the water just as he began to sink, "Naruto! Naruto! Wake up!!!"

Kakashi and I carried him to land, and we were joined by a few Sea-nin and some of the others from our team. I felt tears falling as I felt Naruto's body burning...yet he wasn't responding to me.

"What happened?" spoke Anko, who had arrived only moments ago. Kakahsi looked up, and I noticed a dull look in his eyes. Rin walked over and did a quick diagnostic with her medical jutsu. She was silent, and the look on her was one I hated to see in these situations.

"I...I don't feel any signs chakra life...but...for some reason...there's still chakra flowing through his body..." she spoke in a shaky voice.

I shook my head, and did a similar diagnostic. After I found myself to be getting similar results...I felt the tears come, "No...this can't be happening again...no..."

Kakashi looked the group of Sea-nin, "We need to get Naruto to Konoha as soon as possible...only Yamato may be able to help...Jiraiya's in critical condition, but he can survive a trip over seas if we give him sometime..."

One of the Sea-nin ran off to inform the council building of the emergency and what we needed. I felt myself growing sick in the stomach as I looked upon the blank face of Naruto. His fur was gone, his fox-like feature were no longer there aside from the whisker marks...but he was clinically dead...

"Naruto...why?" I asked as I heard the others running to us. Things were supposed to go peacefully on this mission...and this happened?

I cried into the chest of Naruto's unrising chest. Why did this always happen to Naruto? He never deserved this!

"...why...?" I asked myself as the tears continued falling.

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I blinked as I looked around me, finding myself blinded by white light all around. I got up as my eyes adjusted, and tried to see if anything came in clearer. No luck...

**"Kit..."**

I turned around, and was shocked to see Kyuubi standing before me, a small line of chakra connecting his navel to mine.

"K-Kyuubi? Where are we?" I asked, and heard a groan, and looked near Kyuubi's feet to see Sasuke waking up as well.

"Wha-?" he looked around, and then saw me and Kyuubi. He got up, and rubbed his head, "Great, now what did you do to us, dobe?"

I bit back a retort as Kyuubi growled, **"Looks like something happened when our idiot here decided to go and make himself explode like a fireworks festival...though I have no idea where we could be...I've never seen a realm like this before..."**

We walked around, and I noticed that the scenary never changed. We simply continued walking through pure white void. I noticed that the air was neither hot nor cold...it was as if there was no such thing here as temperature. I let out a sigh, and it echoed around non-existent walls, "Geez, what is this place? We've been walking around for almost half an hour, and still nothing has changed..."

**"Well, wherever it is, it's not from either the demon realm or your world...**" replied Kyuubi, who was walking at a leisurely pace so he wouldn't walk over us and risk crushing me and Sasuke.

"Naruto...whatever you did, it must have sent us to some kind of place between space and time...because I don't sense any air flow here, or any change in humidity..." Sasuke spoke as we continued or fruitless walk through the void.

"Well, I better have gotten rid of those Akatsuki bastards...otherwise I'm going to be pissed! I didn't waste all that chakra just to make a light show!!!" I shouted, not really caring how childish I looked at the moment. From the stares from my two companions, it must have quite immature though.

"Dobe..." Sasuke spoke.

_**"Enough..."**_ Kyuubi sighed, **"We don't have time to argue. For all we know, everyone is beign attacked by Akatsuki right now, and we're helpless in this giant waste of space..." **Kyuubi growled in frustration, and swished his tails a bit, which much to our surprise caused no winds to pick up.

Sasuke and I took immediate notice of that, "Okay...it's one thing to not have temperature change...but are you saying there's no air here period?" Sasuke said as Kyuubi fanned his tails in front of us, earning nothing more than a bit of fur in our face as we faced the giant fox. Kyuubi's tails were supposed to be able to cause whirlwinds and tidal waves with a single flick. I should have been flying away by now.

"What in the hell is this place?" I spoke in annoyance, and heard a laugh that caused all of us to stop where we were.

"Heheh, well, I wouldn't say that you're in _that_ place...but then again, you're not really dead either..." spoke a voice that sent a shiver down my spine...it was so...unfamiliar...yet..I knew it somehow. Kyuubi looked ahead of us, and his eyes widened a bit.

I looked at the fox, not trusting myself to turn around. The mighty Bijuu's let out a snort that signaled either anger, or irritation, and then he narrowed his eyes,**"You..."**

I slowly turned around after seeing the shocked look on Sasuke's face. Surely if he was surprised...then, that might mean I would know who this was too. As I got a glimpse of the owner of the voice, I choked on my voice. I took a step back, unsure whether I could believe what I was seeing or not...

...no, it couldn't be him...could it?

**end of Chap. 25- Hey everyone! I'm back with Chapter 25 completed. Not much to say here other than, "Well, should've saw that coming?" right? RIGHT??? Well, either way, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Hm, now, I wonder who this mystery person is. Oh, I'm sure a few of you figured it out...or maybe you didn't. Well, you'll find out soon enough! Until then, happy reading! **


	27. You've Made Me Proud

**Disclaimer: Hey, guess what? Go on, guess...yeah...you guessed right...I still don't own it...dang, how'd you know?**

**Chapter 26: You've Made Me Proud**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I stared at the man before me, a grin plastered on his face. He chuckled a bit, and looked to me, "What? Is there something on my face?" His expression softened,and he opened his eyes, revealing a bright blue color that was similar to my own.

I fought back a few tears, and felt a lump in my throat, "You're..."

He nodded, and smiled, "Hello, Naruto..."

I ran to the man that I hadn't seen since the day I was born, the man that had gave his life to protect the village from the demon sealed within me, the man who had helped bring me to this world...

"Dad..." I said, feeling tears running down my cheeks, gripping him like my life depended on it. I'm sure it was quite a scene; a nineteen year old ANBU of Konoha hugging his dead father and sobbing like a six year old boy.

Minato Namikaze, the man who so many had claimed to be the greatest shinobi that Konoha had ever made. He had trained under the great Jiraiya, and taught the famous shinobi Kakashi Hatake. He was a man who was told to have taken down an entire army of Iwa-nin by himself...and was the creator of the Hiraishin no Jutsu and the Rasengan...however...

...he was the man I had seen as my idol and hero, and unknowingly had been my father until recently.

Minato pulled back and gave me through scan, then he nodded, "Well, it seems you've really taken to looking like me in appearance..."

I laughed, "Baa-chan says I'm more like Mom though," He laughed, and ruffled my hair.

"Oh boy, that can't be good." he joked, and then looked to my necklace, "So...Tsunade gave you her blessing, eh?"

I nodded, "Yeah...after the day that I-"

"Convinced her to be Hokage." he finished.

I went wide-eyed, "How did you know?"

My father grinned, "I've been watching over you every now and then...well, as often as a dead man can at least..."

"Wait...I thought you were supposed to spend the rest of eternity inside the stomach of the Shinigami...how are you here?" I asked, and he put his hand under his chin in thought.

"There's a lot of things we humans don't understand about this world, Naruto...we have no real understanding of what the afterlife will lead to...but I assure you, I have not spent the rest of my afterlife inside the stomach of the death god suffering." he looked up and turned his eyes rested on Sasuke and Kyuubi. He put a hand on my shoulder and lead me over to them, "You're Sasuke Uchiha, aren't you?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, I am..." he gave a curt bow.

"Please, no need for formalities." he waved a hand, "Thank you for helping my son, Sasuke...and for helping him become strong."

Sasuke knew about my parents, seeing as how I had allowed him limited access to my memories while he was inside my body, so he wasn't surprised to hear this, "It's merely what a friend would do for another friend."

Minato nodded, then his look turned a bit more seriou as he looked to the great Nine-tailed Fox, "Kyuubi..." he nodded, and there seemed to be an air of tension between the two, "...thank you for helping my son when he needed it..."

Kyuubi gave a snort, **"As if I had a choice..."** the demon fox looked down to me, **"He's reached levels that shouldn't be possible...yet he's done it. If anything, he's the one responsible for reaching such levels of power."**

My father nodded, then looked to me again, "Why don't you three follow me? Some people want to meet you..."

"People?" I asked, and he merely laughed.

"You'll see, you'll see." he replied as we walked off through the great white void.

**(Sakura's P.O.V)**

One week...

It had been one week since Naruto had gone into this unnatural state of being comatose. Yamato, or Tenzou as he had continuously asked us to address him, but always failed to, told us that Naruto and Kyuubi were, for a lack of a better word, in stasis.

I sat by the bed where Naruto's body was. He had been 'dead' for almost a week, but he was still experiencing chakra flow throughout his body. Hinata and Neji had personally took turn checking on him every five hours or so, and said there had bee no change since we got back.

Jiraiya was alive, but he wouldn't be able to carry on his life as a shinobi. He had recieved irreversable damage to his body, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he had lived through it. He had felt guilty about Naruto's state, and had stopped by everyday to check on his student.

I looked across from me to see, much to my surprise, ANBU squad Fifteen; Shino, Ino, and Tenten. Naruto was their fourth member, and in a way, the one who was most important to them. He was too joyful and cheery for ANBU, but he was still an amazing shinobi when needed.

"I hope he snaps out of this soon..." Ino said as she looked out a window, sighing tiredly. They had stopped by an hour ago, and it surprised me to see that Shino had stayed the entire time.

"He's strong, Ino. He'll make it through." spoke the bug user, a slight bit of hope in his otherwise usually expressionless voice.

"He better..." Ino said as she got up. She walked over to me, and pulled me into a hug, "We'll stop by tomorrow. I have to do some work at the Interrogation office tomorrow, maybe we can do lunch?" she gave me a hopeful smile. I nodded, and she grinned.

Tenten got up from her chair and sighed, "I should get going...I haven't seen Neji for a couple days now..." she gave a sad smile to the boy on the bed, then turned to me, "Sakura...I've been with this idiot long enough; he'll make it through this. I know he will."

Shino gave me a nod, and they all left the room. I sighed, and put one of the comatose blonde's hands in mine, "Naruto...if you can hear me...please...wake up..." I sighed, "I don't know if I can go through another one of those episodes like we did all those years back."

A knock at the door roused me from my thoughts, "Yes?"

A light brown haired medic-nin walked in, and I smiled, "Hey, Rin."

"How are you doing, Sakura-chan?"

I gave her a shrug, "I've been better."

Rin nodded sadly, "Tsunade-sama wants to speak to you. She asked for me to come get you."

I looked to Naruto, "What about-?"

Rin nodded, "I'll keep an eye on him. He's in need of an IV change anyway...even though his body isn't functioning..." she gave me a shake of her head, "Go on and see the Hokage, I'll take care of him. I promise."

I nodded, "Thanks, Rin."

Minutes later I was standing outside Tsunade's office. I knocked, and heard a shuffling of papers, "Enter."

I opened the door, and saw Tsunade sifting through papers for something, "Sakura, good of you to come."

"Rin told me you wanted to see me, Tsunade-shisou."

The bloned Godaime nodded, and suddnely picked up a paper, "Here, take a look at this. Naruto had it in your room the other day when we were trying to find clues." I looked at the paper, and found it to be in his handwriting. I never remember seeing it in the room Naruto and I shared...then again, Naruto was pretty good at hiding stuff when he needed too.

"This...this is all a bunch of notes on Naruto and Kyuubi's chakra..." I noted as I looked over the print. Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed.

"Jiraiya and I also found this as well..." she handed me a scroll that looked to be new, maybe no more than a few weeks old.

"What is it?" I asked, but Tsunade merely nodded for me to open it.

I looked over the contents, and raised my eye back to my teacher, "This is..."

"Naruto's will..." she nodded, "From what I can understand, you are the inheritor of all his possessions that are listed there. He wants to donate about a third of his money to the local orphanage, and the other third to the Academy."

"Why...why would you be showing me this now though, shishou?"

Tsunade's eyes became half lidded as she looked at her desk, trying to avoid eye contact, "Sakura, we don't know for certain what's wrong with Naruto. Yamato's declared that he still has the Kyuubi in him...but that shouldn't be possible since he's clinically dead. I don't have a rational explanation for this, but I feel we have to prepare for the worst if-"

"You're giving up on Naruto?" I said with an accusing tone. I immediately noticed Tsunade's eyes flare up.

"_NO!_" she slammed her fists on the table, and a crack formed as she got up, "I wouldn't dare do that to him! It's simply the fact that he's a human being, and human beings die, Sakura!"

"He's alive though!" I yelled back, stomping my foot on the ground for emphasis, earning a crack on the flooring.

"We're not sure of that, Sakura!" the older woman shot back.

"When has Naruto ever truly failed us? _When?!!_" I screamed back, tears threatening to fall.

_"Enough!!!"_ she shot back, and collapsed in her chair, tears running down her cheeks, "I'm hurting just as much as you, Sakura...I love the brat like a son...but I don't know what we can do about his predicament. He's a Jinchuuriki, so normal aspects of finding a diagnosis are hard to do..." she rubbed her temples and looked to me, "...I'm sorry...Sakura. You know how hard this is for me..."

I nodded, "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that...it was out of my rank to question you." Tears were falling slowly as I looked down to the floor, "It's just...I can't even remember how many times I've almost lost him. First when he went to go get Sasuke all those years back...then when the Kyuubi's chakra leaked through when we went with Sai and Yamato-taichou to intercept Kabuto and Orochimaru...then when Naruto fought Sasuke and killed-" I couldn't finish my sentence, and let out a shudder as I tried to remain composed.

I heard the sound of footsteps walk up to me, and I felt Tsunade holding me, "It's okay, Sakura...I know..." she was crying as well, but holding back better than me, "...I can still remember the pain from losing Nawaki and Dan...it haunts me still...but the day I met Naruto...a part of me that I thought I had killed years and years ago came back to life..." I wrapped my arms around the woman that I had looked to as second mother, and felt myself shaking with tears, "I don't know what I'll do if we lose him...I'm scared too..." she finished.

We stood there in Tsunade's office, crying for a young man that had touched our lives so deeply.

**(Kakashi's P.O.V)**

I sighed as I turned away from the window of Tsunade's office. I decided they needed to be left alone for awhile. I jumped off and slowly walked down the street, not really caring where I went.

"Kakashi..." I heard a voice say. I let out another sigh.

"Not now, Gai..."

"Kakashi...it's not your fault. He did it on his own accord." spoke the Taijutsu Master. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"You wouldn't understand..." I spoke as we walked through the night life of Konoha.

Gai let out a hollow laugh, "That's far from true, Kakashi. I almost lost Neji back when those boys went to retrieve Sasuke. Not to mention that I almost thought Lee would never be a ninja for the rest of his life..."

I nodded, remembering the news of Neji Hyuuga's life threatening conditions all those years back, "I'm sorry..."

Gai grinned, even though I didn't look to him, I could tell, "It's allright, Kakashi. Listen, Rin told me to keep an eye on you while she was working at the hospital. I intend to do that, so I'm afraid that you're stuck with me. What do you say we go grab a drink, for old time's sake?"

I gave the spandex wearing man a smirk under my mask, "Sure...I guess I wouldn't mind that." I knew he was just trying to keep my thoughts from going over Naruto. I appreciated the gesture...but my student...no, my _family member_...was in the hospital right now...

_'Minato-sensei...I'm sorry...' _

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I followed my father with Sasuke and Kyuubi close behind. We somehow ended up in a mountain like area covered in mist. It was kind of eerie; I sensed a presence all around us...numerous ones actually.

"Where are we?" I asked.

My dad put a hand under his chin in thought, "Hm...not really sure what the appropriate name for this place is. Everyone calls it the Crossroads...but we're not sure if there is a real name for it..." he stopped and smiled as he looked ahead, "Ah, there you all are. They're here."

I looked into the mist, not sure who he was referring to...then I suddenly saw some shapes walking through the mist, "Ah, Naruto, it's good to see you again."

I was completely silent as I saw a familiar face walking towards me, with many others following behind, "Old Man?" I asked, and earned a hardy laugh from the figure.

"Oh, I haven't heard that in quite a long time." replied the figure.

I couldn't believe it...and from the expression on Sasuke Uchiha's face, neither could he. There before us stood the Third Hokage, a pipe in his mouth and a wrinkled smile on his face.

"What...what are you doing here?" I asked, suddenly noticing more Leaf ninja that had died in my lifetime, and others I didn't recognize, appearing behind the man.

"Well, we're here because we all share a connection to you and Sasuke..." he replied, and I smiled knowingly.

"The Will of Fire." I spoke, and he nodded.

"That's right...you're definitely a strong carrier of it..." the Third then looked to Sasuke, "...Sasuke...you've proven yourself to still be a strong carrier of it, even after what has happened. We're glad you can finally be among us."

Sasuke seemed to be quiet for a bit...then I noticed his body start to glow a bit...like the others did. He smiled a bit as he finally settled with a calming glow of spiritual light, "Heh...well, I guess I'm finally able to say that I'm home..."

Two figures stepped out of the mass; a woman and a man. Sasuke's eyes widened as he recognized. They both smiled, and the woman spoke softly, "Sasuke..."

For a split second, I swore I saw Sasuke's eyes water up. He quickly masked his face with indifference, but I could hear his voice waver a bit, "Tou-san...Kaa-san..." he didn't move, and I evenutally decided to walk up to him.

"Hey, why don't you say hi to them?" I nudged him a bit, and he frowned out of embarrassment. He slowly walked over to his two parents.

Fugaku Uchiha put a hand on each of Sasuke's shoulders, "We've...missed you, Son..."

Fugaku let go as Mikoto wrapped the boy in a hug, and the sixteen year old body of Sasuke finally broke down into tears, "Kaa-san..."

I felt a grin form on my face. Sasuke was finally with his family again.

Fugaku turned to me, "Naruto Uzumaki...thank you..." he gave me a bow, as did a large portion of the other Leaf nin present. I suddenly noticed that a lot of them had dark hair and black eyes, as well the Uchiha crest on their clothes. They were all Uchiha...

"Um...for what?" I asked, not sure what the head of the Uchiha clan was talking about.

Mikoto smiled, "We all thank you...for being such a loyal friend to Sasuke for all these years...and for bringing him back to us." Sasuke was now by his parents side, and gave me a nod.

"Yeah...thanks, dobe." Sasuke said with real sincerity.

"Heh, what are friends for, teme?" I shot back. We were both smiling, and it seemed that Sasuke was giving a real smile...a smile that he hadn't given for a long, long time.

...he was truly happy.

"Well, Naruto...don't think we're through yet. Someone else wants to see you too." my father said.

Yet another figure stepped out of the masses, and the red hair immediately got my attention. I felt my eyes getting watery again, and I ran to the woman before me, "Mom!"

I was soon in the arms of the the woman that had brought me into this world, but never got to meet, "Naruto, I'm so happy to finally see you..."

I felt my father's presence behind me, and he placed a hand on my shoulders. I was finally with my parents, and I couldn't have been happier...well, yes I could have. I could have had Sakura and my friends here too...otherwise this was perfect.

I eventually let go a bit so she could look at me. She was quite short really, and I found that I had to look down at her, "Wow...you've really taken after your father it seems." she joked, "Just as handsome as him, but a real stubborn baka sometimes."

I was quiet for a few seconds...did my mother just call me a stubborn idiot?

"Um..."

She laughed, "I'm only kidding, sweetie." she put a hand on my cheek, "You've truly grown into a handsome young man, just like I knew you would."

"Mom...thanks...for...well, giving me life...and stuff..." I said, not sure how to express my thanks. She smiled as she nodded.

"Well, Naruto, how are you?" I turned to see a certain Jounin with a cigarette in his mouth, and a grin on his face.

"Asuma..." I nodded, "...I'm fine..." I smiled as he gave me a nod.

I suddenly noticed everyone break apart to make a pathway. Two more figures stepped through the crowd...

I looked to see the both the Shodaime and Nidaime standing before me. I was speechless now.

"Minato, is this your boy?" asked the Shodaime in a peaceful tone.

"Yep, this is Naruto. The one your grand daughter gave her necklace to." my dad replied.

The man smiled, "Uzumaki-san...it's a pleasure to finally meet the man who brought my grand daughter back to Konoha to take the place as Godaime." he bowed, and I laughed nervously.

"Heheh, hey, no need to do that. I was just trying to tell her to stop disrespecting the Hokage, that's all, heheh." I said as I grinned.

"Hm, Tsunade always was one to be rather blunt about her opinions...well, I'm glad you did that Naruto..." Sarutobi said as he nodded to me. It was...unusual to see the elderly man without his Hokage robes or hat.

The Nidaime decided to speak, "By the way, Naruto, nice job with using my technique. You demonstrate quite an ability at water manipulation for someone who's tied to the wind affinity."

Man, talk about flattery. I was being complimented by all the Hokages here, and I could only grin and laugh.

"Naruto," spoke the Third, and I looked to him, "remember...those who carry the Will of Fire with them will always be strong...and as long as you do...you can do anything you set your mind to..."

I nodded, "Thanks Old Man." he smiled as I gave him a grin. Everyone had went on one knee aside from my parents and the Kyuubi and Sasuke. I noticed this, and looked around, "Um...what's going on?"

"You're being recognized..." my father spoke as he ruffled my hair.

"For what?" I asked, and he laughed.

"Well...we all know...but we can't tell you...that would be unfair to you." he smirked. I looked to Sasuke, and he only nodded in agreement. Dang it, he knew too now?

"Aw, come on!" I said, and only recieved a flick on the forehead from my father, followed by a 'Minato, please, you're embarassing him!' from my mother.

"You'll see...but it'll have to wait until you leave here..." his grin turned to a sad smile.

"Wait...but I don't-" I said, but my mother put a hand on my cheek again to silence me.

"Naruto-kun...you still have your friends back home...and someone especially important to you is worried about you right now..." my mother spoke gently.

I nodded in understanding, "Sakura-chan..."

She smiled, "You have ou blessing to marry her...if that means anything to you."

"Heh, I'm proud of you, kiddo! She's tough as nails, sharp as a kunai, and a real beauty too!" my father said with a grin, and I blushed a bit. He laughed a bit, that is until my mom jabbed him in the ribs, ending his teasing right away.

(Some time later)

Eventually it was me, my parents, Kyuubi, and Sasuke again standing in the void. The others had given me their good bye, and I even recieved a hug from Sasuke's mother (which prompted me to laugh as Sasuke put a hand over his face in sheer embarassment).

"Well...Son...looks like I'll be seeing you..." my dad said.

"Goodbye honey, and remember, we're alway with you." she said, a smile on her face with unshed tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Bye Mom, Dad, Sasuke. Take care of everyone for me." I said, trying not to cry as well. I hated to leave so soon. Strangely enough, even though it felt like I had spent an eternity here talking with my parents about everything I could think of, it also felt too short of a time.

Sasuke walked up to me, and extended his hand, "Take care, Naruto. Let everyone know that I said 'hi'...well, at least tell Sakura and Kakashi-sensei...oh yeah." Sasuke pulled something from his pocket, "I would have given this to you ealier...but I sort of forgot I guess."

I looked at a scroll, and then to him. He nodded, and I unrolled it to look at it. After scanning it, I looked to him, and he was smiling, "Sasuke...I can't have this...it's..."

"It's _yours_. I was the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, and I have a right to give it away to whom I please. It's official, and that's my handwriting...trust me, I want you to have it. Save it, use it for your family, put it towards something for Konoha...it's yours..."

I stared again at the scroll that contained the legal transfer of all the Uchiha clan's wealth to my name. I was still shaking my head, but realized there was no possible way to convince my friend to do otherwise, "Fine...teme..." I grinned, and he shook his head as he smiled.

The stoic boy walked up to me, and extended his hand, "Naruto...take care of yourself...and I better see at least one kid from you and Sakura in the next ten years, or I'll come back and haunt you." he laughed as I turned red. My parents joined in the laughter, and I even heard the giant fox behind me chuckle as well. Sasuke then patted my shoulder as I did likewise.

"I'll be sure to tell my kids about you years from now." I said with a smirk. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment then." he joked, and took a few steps back.

My parents both embraced me one last time, "Take care, honey, and remember that we love you very much." my mother said as she planted a kiss on my cheek. I tried to capture this moment in my mind so that it wouldn't ever be forgotten.

My dad then gave me a look that I guess could be described as both a proud and loving expression that only a parent could give, "Naruto...you've made your old man very proud. I can only expect even greater things from Konoha's 'Yellow Wind'."

I groaned, "Oh great, you know that nickname too?"

My parents chuckled, "I think it's a very cute name."

"Mom...ANBU aren't supposed to be 'cute'. I sighed. She grinned a bit.

"Well, looks like ANBU may need to throw you off the force then, because you are quite a lady-killer from what it seems like." my dad added.

I laughed, and began to feel light all of the sudden. Everything became a bit brighter, and my parents slowly let go, "Mom...Dad...Sasuke..." I felt tears falling again.

"Well, looks like it's time to go now...Naruto...remember, the Will of Fire exists in every Konoha-nin. We live on in you..." I heard my father say.

"We love you, Naruto!" my mother called as she became a bright light with the others.

My dad spoke up again as they seemed to fade even further away, "Say hi to Kakashi, Rin, and that perverted sensei of mine and yours for me, will you?"

"Dobe, I expect to be seeing the Uzumaki clan in the works within ten years, and you better be wearing that hat even sooner!" came Sasuke's voice, "Take care of yourself, we'll be with you and Konoha always."

I finally heard the voice of my father echo in my mind as everything turned blinding white, "Goodbye...my son...you're destined for great things...and always remember that your family and friends are always alive in you..."

I felt a tear fall from my face, "Goodbye...everyone..."

**(Minato's P.O.V)**

I watched the boy that I had held in my arms over a decade and a half ago as he slowly faded away, back to his world. The boy that I had entrusted the entire future in...the boy that had the potential to be even greater than any previous Hokage before him.

He was...no...is my son. Naruto Uzumaki...the boy who was destined to change the entire world, leading it into a golden era for shinobi.

"He's going to make history...you know that right?" spoke the boy next to us.

"You're right, Sasuke." I nodded, "Well, I suppose you have a lot of catching up to do with your family..."

The boy smiled, "I don't even know where to start with them...it's been years since..."

Kushina smiled, "Sasuke, don't worry about time...we've got all of eternity here now..."

Sasuke nodded and dissapeared as he went to join the others. Kushina wrapped an arm around me. I smiled down at her, "Wait until Naruto's back in Konoha...boy, he's going to be overjoyed at what's in store for him."

Kushina nodded, then gave me a concerned look, "You really think it was fair to not tell him about it?"

I grinned, "That would take away the surprise of it, and then he would be expecting it. I mean...it's probably been like what, several weeks since he arrived here in their time."

She gave me a kiss, "Our little boy is going to be the greatest shinobi of all time..." she sighed as she looked at the spot where Naruto and the Kyuubi had been moments ago.

I gave her a hug, "Yes he will...yes he will."

**(Konoha)**

**(Tsunade's P.O.V)**

I sat in my chair, looking at the sunny weather outside. I groaned; today wasn't a day for such weather. Naruto's condition hadn't changed in the slightest in over a month and a half now. I was getting worried...but strangely enough, his body hadn't been affected in the slightest to show signs of death aside from vitals being non-existent. His body was not decaying, and his skin complextion remained the same tanned tone.

It had affected all of us. Shikamaru and Temari had decided to postpone the wedding for another week in hopes that Naruto would awaken. Ino and Chouji were now living in an apartment between their respective clans' compounds. Tenten and Neji had finally admitted that they wanted to take their relationship to the next level; Neji had proposed to Tenten in front of the entire ANBU force present when she was there. Konohamaru not only began to date Moegi, but also started to train under Iruka and Shikamaru in teaching at the Academy. He currently knew up to forty-two percent of the jutsu that his grandfather had knowledge of when he died. Hinata began to take greater measures in her soon-to-be position as the head of the Hyuuga Clan. Those were just a few of the changes that had occured since Naruto went into his now proclaimed 'life-force stasis' as Yamato had called it.

However, the ones that changed the most were Kakashi and Sakura. Kakashi joined the crew and proposed to Rin in front of the Memorial Stone during one day after they had visited Naruto. Rin had only hesitated for a second before she gave out a tearful yes. They would be wed within a month's time.

Sakura...well, she was taking the situation well...considering how close she and Naruto were. She had taken it upon herself to perfect the Rasengan, and with the offered help of Jiraiya (much to our surprise), she was able to make a decent-sized Rasengan with both her hands. It had the power that Naruto would have put into it around age fourteen according to Jiraiya. Sakura would be seen everyday working on her medical and combat skills from morning until late afternoon. She would spend her dinner time with Naruto, and go home to their house. She was quieter than usual, but would still smile every now and then...but we knew she was hurting on the inside.

I heard a knock at my door, a very frantic knock. Before I could answer, it swung open to reveal a panting Shizune who had a tearful smile on her face, "Tsu-Tsunade...sama!"

I stood up, and gave my pupil a serious look, "What is it, Shizune?"

She let a few tears fall as she catched her breath, "It's Naruto...he's alive...and he seems to have made a full recovery!"

I wasted no time as I walked down the hall with Shizune trailing behind me. I reached the blonde boy's room, and I gasped at the sight I saw.

"Baa-chan! Hey, how are you?"

I turned to Shizune, "Go get Sakura immediately! Scratch that, get everyone that he knows." I turned to him and grinned. He had a cheesy grin on his face, and seemed like nothing had happened. I smiled, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Time to put my decision I made three months ago into action...

...I believe Naruto was finally ready...

**end of Chap. 26- Woo! Hey, I've updated again! I know, quick, but this one just came to me right away. Hope you liked all of it...I did...well, there's more on the way, so don't feel that this is close to the end yet! Heheh, the next chapter should prove to be a good one. Yeah, that's got you excited, doesn't it? I know...I'm evil...though if you're smart enough to 'look underneath the underneath' you may get what I'm saying...well, until we meet again, happy reading everyone!**


	28. The Sixth

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all things related to it are the property of Kishimoto. This is only further proven true because he updates his series more often then I do, heheh.**

**Chapter 27: The Sixth**

**(Sakura's P.O.V)**

I stood in the middle of training ground twenty-eight, straining to keep my legs from wobbling.

"One...one more time..." I held out my right hand, and focused chakra into it. I began to create a spiraling motion with it, and a perfect sphere of spinning chakra became visible, the blue color giving off a faint light. I focused on a boulder in front, of me, and let out a breath before rushing at it with my weapon in hand, "Rasengan!!"

The boulder erupted into various sized portions, dust flitting into the air. I fell to my knees, but remained upright otherwise.

The sound of someone landing behind me caused me to turn around with my fist cocked back. I looked for a brief moment, and noticed the boar mask and blond hair of an ANBU ninja...only one kunoichi within ANBU had such hair.

"Geez, Sakura, you do realize that the boulders we have here aren't replaced that often, right?" spoke Ino as she pulled her mask to the side. I chuckled a bit as she gave me a hand up.

"Whatever, I'm done for the day anyway..." I noticed the bright smile on her face, "What?"

"It's Naruto." My eyes widened, "He's awake!"

"What?! No way!!" I began to head towards the hospital, but felt my legs give in a bit.

Ino caught me before I fell, "Here, I'll help. You're not nearly as heavy as Naruto, and I've carried that idiot too many times to count during missions..."

About ten minutes later, with Ino's help we both reached the hospital. I took a moment to try and clean off the dirt and grime from my face, and the two of us headed to the room where Naruto was being treated in.

When we reached the room, I was not surprised to see the rest of ANBU squad Fifteen, along with Kakashi, Rin, Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tsunade there as well.

"Sakura, glad you made it. Someone here was waiting for you." Tsunade spoke, and I turned to see a grinning Naruto laying in the bed.

"Naruto!" I bear-hugged the blond boy, and felt myself shaking a bit, "Damn it...you're alive..." I tightened my grip on him.

"Heheh, it's okay, Sakura-chan, I'm fine. I promise!" Naruto spoke as he held me as well.

"Baka...how many times are you going to go and defy death on me?" I asked as I felt a few tears crawl down my face. I looked to see him smiling, his eyes showing understanding towards my feelings.

"Sakura...don't cry...okay? This is a day I want to remember as a happy one..."

Naruto turned to Tsunade, who simply nodded to him. I raised an eyebrow, and watched as everyone left the room. Soon it was just me and him, "Naruto...what's-?"

"Sakura...do you remember when I took you to the shopping district for your birthday last spring?"

"Yeah...what about it?"

Naruto pulled out a scroll, and I noted something. It had various seals on it. One was a chakra seal, the other a blood seal of sorts. Naruto bit his thumb, and then looked to me, "Um...I'm going to need you to apply some blood and chakra as well..."

I did as he asked, and watched as the seal fell off. Naruto unraveled the scroll slowly, and told me to close my eyes. I heard a puff of smoke as he released whatever object he was holding, and then he held my hand a bit, "Naruto?"

"Hold on, we're going for a quick ride, okay?"

"What are you-gaahh!" I opened my eyes to see Naruto holding me tightly as we flew out the window of the hospital. He hopped up to the top of the hospital roof, and then I watched as he made a seal. I felt everything blur as he used a quick teleportation technique, and I blinked a few times as we were suddenly standing on top of the Hokage faces. I looked to see the sun slowly descending into a beautiful sunset. I turned to see Naruto facing me, a smile that reflected the light off his face. He held my hand tightly, his gaze never leaving mine.

"...Sakura...I had some very interesting experiences while I was...comatose...I came to realize something though." He turned my palm up, and with his other hand, dropped something in it while covering it with his hand, gripping my hands with a firm, yet gentle grip, "...I realized that you are by far the most important part of my life...I can't see my future without you there..."

His hands were shaking a bit, yet I saw him continuing to smile, "I-I know that I'm not always the smartest or most ideal man at times..."

"Naruto...? What are you talking-?"

"Just...just let me finish. I thought this speech over for the last twenty minutes..." He spoke, and I couldn't help but giggle, "...I...I love you Sakura...it scares me how much sometimes...I wondered if it was just an obsession or puppy-love when I was younger...but...now I realize that it's the real thing..." He clasped my hands around the object...and I could feel what seemed to be a circular shape of some sort...a ring or something like-wait...a ring?? I could feel myself tearing up again.

"Naruto...did you...did you?" I didn't finish my sentence as he opened up my palm, and revealed a beautiful diamond. It glittered with a pure golden band that had the engravings of sakura petals on it. I looked closer at the diamond to see the faint hue of pink in it. I felt my breath hitch a bit, and felt my legs wobbling a little.

Naruto dropped to one knee, and I could feel his hands shaking as he held the diamond within my palm, "Sakura Haruno...will you marry-"

"Yes!! Yes I will marry you, Naruto Uzumaki!" I spoke as I tackled him to the ground, my body shaking with excitement and joy. Naruto laughed as he gripped the diamond. He kissed me before holding my left hand and slipping the ring on it.

"It's a good thing that I bought this diamond a week after we went to the market last year...I was saving it for your next birthday...but I think that this was a more decent cause for it...and the guy at the jewelry said it was an engagement ring to begin with anyway, so, heheh..."

I looked into the somewhat teary eyes of Naruto, and smiled, "You're lucky you did this; I was going to beat you senseless later for worrying the hell out of me so long..."

He laughed, and we eventually got up as the sky turned pink with the sunset, "We should get back...Tsunade-baachan said she had something to tell me..."

Naruto and I eventually got back to the hospital, and arrived at his room to see the Godaime sitting by Naruto's bed by herself. She looked at the two of us, and then noticed the glitter of gold on my ring finger. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she couldn't help but laugh with joy, "It's about damn time! Geez, I was worried I'd have to force you into finally popping the question, Naruto." She walked over to us and wrapped her arms around the two of us, "I expect no less than two grandchildren, got it?"

"Tsu-Tsunade-shishou!" I exclaimed, feeling my face heat up. She merely laughed, and gave us another hug, "Oh, this day is going to be by far one of the best ones I've had in ages...Naruto...come with me. Sakura, you too. I want to discuss something with you at my office..."

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

We followed Tsunade-baachan to her office in the Hokage Tower, and watched as Tsunade sat down in her chair. She looked over it while running her hands over it, as though she was reflecting back on something. She looked around the room, taking in every detail. Then she turned to me in particular, "Naruto...I think we both know this day would eventually be coming. I'm just surprised how quickly it caught up with us..."

I had a faint idea of what she was saying, "...Baa-chan?"

Tsunade got up and looked out the window, "You know...I can _still _remember the day you and I met...I thought I was seeing Dan and Nawaki...you showed me that Konoha still had shinobi worthy of carrying on it's legacy..." She turned to me, a few tears streaming down her face, but she was smiling, "...Naruto...as of tomorrow, I'm no longer Hokage..."

"Wha-what?? Then...Tsunade-shishou...are you saying that Naruto...?"

I saw Tsunade turn to Sakura and nod before walking up to me. She put her hands on either of my shoulders, and spoke, "Naruto...I've talked it over with the Council while you were still in Wave...they all agreed with my decision...even Danzou...as of tomorrow...the new Hokage will be none other than you."

I felt heart stop for a brief second, and I blinked, "...you mean...that...that I...?"

"Congratulations...Rokudaime Hokage..." She laughed as I shot up and hugged her, "Easy, easy!"

"Tsunade-baachan!! Thank you! Thank you!!"

Tsunade returned the hug before letting go, and smiling at me, "I have seen you handle paper work fairly well, seeing as you are a second in command, and Shino tends to let you handle the details of mission reports. I'll have to help you go over a few procedures that you aren't too familiar with...but I know that you're otherwise suited for the job. The council actually was hoping for you to be given the inauguration ceremony before the Wave mission...but since you were assigned to the team, that changed things."

"...so...is the ceremony tomorrow...?"

"Yes, and I've already had public notices posted throughout the village letting people know of this ceremony, though I've only made it known that it has to do with me stepping down. Otherwise, they know nothing of it. The notices were just placed earlier this afternoon..."

I couldn't help but grin, "So I get to make a speech?"

"Yes, Naruto...you get to make a speech...just understand that this is serious. You're going to be leading a village as of tomorrow...well, you've got help of course, but you'll be the new Hokage...people will be looking to you for help and guidance from here on out..."

I nodded, understanding where she was coming from, "I know, Baa-chan..."

Tsunade looked over to Sakura, and grinned, "I know you'll be there to keep his feet on the ground, right?"

"Of course." Sakura laughed, and I couldn't help but feel a bit miffed.

"Hey, I'm not _that _bad, am I?" The two kunoichi just laughed, and I just sighed, though I couldn't help but eventually join them.

Yeah...today had turned out to be the best day of my life so far...

**(The following day)**

I stood on the balcony of Hokage Tower overlooking the entire village. The rumble of the crowd that had gathered gave me a constant reminder that Konoha was one of the largest villages in all of the Elemental Nations.

It was currently eleven o' clock in the morning, and I was running on four hours of sleep, a bowl of ramen, a cup of coffee typically given to the night shift patrols who had been assigned to the borders of Fire Country, and sheer excitement. Behind me was the Council elders, Shizune, Jiraiya, and Sakura. Tsunade was in front of me, giving her speech. She had just reached the part of her speech where she would announce me as her successor, and the crowd, upon hearing my name, roared in cheers.

Cheers?

"I will say once more that it has been my greatest honor to serve this village as your leader for these past six years. However, I truly believe that Naruto Uzumaki is qualified to take my posistion. He has served this village for as one of it's most loyal and admirable ninja..." She turned to me and nodded, "Now, Naruto...please step forth..."

Tsunade was dressed in her formal Hokage robes, as well as the hat. As I approached her, she lifted the hat off her head, and grinned, "So...you ready?" She asked, barely above a whisper.

I laughed, "I have been for awhile now."

Tsunade chuckled a bit before speaking aloud again, "Naruto Uzumaki, do you swear to protect this village, with your very own life if need be?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you swear by the honor of our village's name to lead us to the best of your ability, to serve it with the best of intentions?"

"I do."

Tsunade smiled, and I could see a few tears in her eyes, "Then as the Godaime Hokage, and by the acknowledgement of the council of Konohagakure, I hereby pass on the title of the Hokage down to you..." She placed the hat upon my head, and took a step back, the smile on her face never leaving, "People of Konoha, I present to you Naruto Uzumaki, Rokudaime Hokage!"

I stared in awe as the crowds erupted. I was amazed...I still had to remind myself that most of the village looked to me with some respect now...

"Well, go on, _Hokage-sama_. Give them your speech." I heard Jiraiya say, only to have Tsunade jab him in the ribs lightly. He laughed anyway, but quieted down.

I took a look back to see Sakura nod. She had chosen to wear a red dress with her hair in a bun, held in place by two hair sticks. It had a floral pattern running down its length, giving her a look of elegance. It was also ideal for kunoichi, as it contained several hidden pockets for weaponry...but we didn't need to tell anyone about that...

"...people of Konoha...I stand here today...honored." I began, "I spent my life, living for this moment. The moment to finally achieve the highest honor a ninja of Konoha can achieve...many of you may know this, having personally met me..."

I took a moment to scan the audience. I saw Kakashi and Rin, holding each other, Kakashi giving me a nod while Rin was smiling broadly.

"Some of you may have doubted me in the past...though I suppose many of you are the reason I got to this point today..."

I looked to see many of the Hyuuga clan, both Main and Branch family, standing in attendance. Hinata and Kiba were watching me. Kiba gave me a thumbs up while Hinata gave a polite wave. Neji stood by his cousin, a knowing smirk on his face while Tenten was holding him by the arm.

"I will be the first to admit that my life was nothing to brag about...but I always believed that if I continued to strive and work for what I believed in that someday I would achieve my dream..." Ino and Chouji were standing near their respective clans, both grinning up at me.

"I promise that as long as I serve as Hokage that I will do all that I can to insure its peace and prosperity. I promise that I will look into the local issues, as well as those involving foreign affairs. I will do all that I can to bring Konoha into the greatest era it has seen yet."

Yeah, that was talking pretty big...I would admit it. Yet, that was what I was aiming for. I remember telling myself that I would become the greatest Hokage ever...in order to do that, I would have to do better than all those before me. Also, as Hokage...I had to be able to be honest with my people...

"People of Konoha, I know that many of you are aware of what I hold within me. Many of you may hold a grudge against me for it...but I will tell you right now, I have it under control. As of today, I lift the law created by the Sandaime Hokage, and the secret of me being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi is no more. I will not hold this secret any longer. If I am to be Hokage, then the first thing I must do is have my people's trust."

I could feel the people all watching me as I looked over the horizon, and glanced over to my father's face etched in the stone, "My father had entrusted me with that burden when I was first born. I do not wish to tarnish that trust he had in me by hiding the truth from all of you. I am the container of the Nine-tailed Fox, but nothing more. I can use it's powers, but only to a certain degree. Will the fox take over me? No. Will the fox be the death of me. Not likely. Does my status as a Jinchuuriki affect the village at all? Without a doubt...but I will not let this fact be our doom. I am strong not because of the Kyuubi, but because of how hard I have worked to become the shinobi I am today..."

The murmurs from people who had managed to connect the fact that my father was Minato Namikaze grew, but I continued, "I ask only that you believe in my ablities, and trust in me. I do not want you to respect me based on a title alone...this title means nothing unless the person has earned it. I have seen what too much pride can do to a person. I wish to be respected for what I do, not because of what I am..."

I took in a deep breath, and prepared for the final part of this speech, "To me...all of you are my family. Only recently have I found out of my lineage...but I still see all of this village as a part of who I am, and what I am. It's because of all of you that I am what I am today. It is because of this village that I want our children...and our children's children to have the opportunity to lead successful lives of their own. Again...I promise all of you that as long as I am Hokage, I will do all I can to insure this village's peace and prosperity. That is a promise...and I never go back on my word...for _that_ is my nindo!"

The crowd was silent for a brief moment. I stood their...silent...

_"Did I say something wrong? Do I have something on my face? Is my hat crooked?"_

Then Kiba let out a hooting cheer, "Yeah, Naruto!!"

All at once, the crowd erupted with cheering and applause like none other. The word, 'Rokudaime' was chanted constantly, and I couldn't help but cry a bit. I nearly fainted from the nervousness I was experiencing moments ago. I'd have to thank Kiba later for that...

I stood there, looking down upon both the civilians and shinobi of the village...my village...my home.

Tsunade, along with Sakura and Jiraiya, took a step forward. The crowd quieted down a bit, and Tsunade spoke, "I would like to inform all of you that our very own Hokage has also proposed to Sakura Haruno, one of our top medic-nin in the village!"

A cry of joy was heard from Ino, and Sakura, who was blushing like mad as I wrapped an arm around her, spoke into my ear, "Naruto...I wanted to tell you something after all of this is over, okay?" It didn't sound bad...but she did sound serious. She looked to Tsunade and Shizune, who each smiled as well. A knowing smirk actually. I gave Sakura a confused look, but set aside the confusion for now...

It was a half hour later and the cheers could still be heard from outside the Hokage's office...my office...

"For crying out loud, Naruto, stop fiddling around with that hat." I heard Tsunade say as I kept adjusting my hat. I was smirking as I let it downwards a bit, hiding my eyes a bit.

"Heheh, sorry, Baa-chan. Still getting over the feeling of it all..."

Tsunade laughed, "Right, right. Well, anyway, I'll be around for the first month to help you out with any confusion that you may experience. I doubt you'll have too many problems though." She turned to Sakura, and then looked to me, "Well...I guess I'll let you two have some alone time for now..."

I raised an eyebrow. Alone time? What did she mean?

Sakura was standing in front of my desk, looking a bit nervous about something. She looked up to me, and I could see the faint signs of uncertainty in her eyes. I got up, and walked over to her, "Sakura, is something wrong?"

Sakura didn't say anything for a few moments, but after I wrapped my arms around her, she decided to talk, "Naruto...I was feeling sick a few days before you woke up...and I've been getting dizzy spells and stomach aches in the morning...I decided to see Tsunade about it...and well..."

I waited anxiously as she let the unfinished sentence hang in the air. She didn't speak for awhile again, so I spoke, "What did she say? Are you going to be okay?"

"Naruto...I'm more than okay..." She held my sides tightly as I saw some unshed tears in her eyes, "Naruto...we're going to be parents..."

"Oh, well that's good, for a minute I thought were-WE'RE GOING TO BE PARENTS??" I repeated, "Y-you mean...and...Sakura!! You mean, you're pregnant!!" I hugged her tightly, "I'm going to be a father!! Hahaha!!"

Sakura laughed with tears in her eyes, and hugged me tightly, "I'm about a month pregnant...it must have been when we were in Wave a month ago..." She buried her face into my chest, "I'm so glad you're happy as I am..."

"How could I not, Sakura-chan? I always wondered what it'd be like to be a parent! Oh, we'll have to get them a room, and start making family technique scrolls, and-"

Sakura chuckled a bit, "Naruto, easy...we have eight months to get this all taken care of. Tsunade-shishou, Shizune, and Jiraiya-sama said they'd help in any they can. I already looked into moving into a house near the Nara clan. It's for a decent price, and knowing the amount of money we have in our bank accounts, we should be able to pay for it without a problem."

I held my future wife closely, and breathed in the scent of her hair while feeling of true joy spread over me, "...Sakura-chan...I've got to be the luckiest man on Earth right now..."

"Of course, that's because you have me." She joked. I couldn't disagree with her though on that point.

**(Madara's P.O.V)**

"So...Uzumaki has been made Hokage?" I spoke, looking at the other two men before me, "My, this certainly will make things interesting. I suppose this was bound to happen in his case..."

"He's made a full recovery from the battle, and the majority of the village has given him their support. It will be much more difficult to obtain him this time..." Zetsu spoke, "We'll need to take aggressive measures to capture him this time."

"It will be no problem for us. We only need to create a big enough diversion to draw the village's attention away from him..." spoke Pain.

"Yes...for now, we'll let this peace Konoha is experiencing settle in. They'll be on alert for awhile though with the news of him becoming Hokage. No doubt that Suna will be trying to further strengthen their relations with Konoha, knowing the relations between the Ichibi boy and Uzumaki." I turning to the sunlight from outside the cave we were in, "We cannot fail again..."

**end of Chap. 27- Hello, remember me? Heh...yeah, I finally decided that an update was due for this fic. Now, some of you may be thinking, "Um...wow...a lot happened at once here." Truth is, you're right. I planned it like that. Naruto becoming Hokage would probably have happened sooner if he hadn't gone comatose for a month. Sakura found out about the big news just a few days ago after experiencing some sickness from the pregnancy. Naruto, being the spur of the moment guy, might very well pull off a 'out of the blue' proposal. Either way, I finally got another chapter out for this fic. I will try and get more updates on this fic out; I have some ideas planned for what will happen next, just need some time to get them typed out. Well, until then, later!**


	29. Treaties, Diplomacy, and Maternal Leave

**Dislcaimer: Naruto and all related things are property of Kishimoto, not me. Although, if I did own Naruto, Naruto would have probably been not as cool looking as he is in the recent chapters. Maybe more of a goof-off, yes, but as cool in appearance, not likely.**

**Chapter 28: Treaties, Diplomacy, and Maternal Leave**

**(Tsunade's P.O.V)**

It had been close to two months since Naruto took the position as the leader of the Hidden Leaf village. His first action as the Rokudaime Hokage was to propose a treaty with the neighboring ninja villages of Otogakure and Kusagakure. Within a week's time of the two treaties being sent out, Oto replied with much enthusiasm towards the idea. The country had plummeted into hard times with the downfall of the Snake Sannin, and small factions had begun to fight over authority of controlling the village. Naruto stated that he would be more than happy to help with this issue..

Unfortunately, Kusa was not as eager for a treaty. They stated they would like to remain neutral, and Naruto respected that. However, he also made note to increase the amount of patrols near the border of Fire Country and Grass Country. He had his reasons, too.

Before I had stepped down from my position as the Hokage, many of the patrols near the northwestern border of Fire Country reported an increase in the amount of foreign ninja appearing, namely Rock-nin. It wasn't settling well with the ninja who had fought in the Third Shinobi War, and I couldn't agree more.

Naruto had decided to confront the Tsuchikage about this, and sent him a letter asking for an explanation as to why his ninja were inside the borders of Fire Country. The Tsuchikage never replied.

Shortly after this, Otogakure and Konohagakure had established an alliance together. The first order of business between the two was Otogakure's revelation to the Hidden Leaf of a possible plan of attack that Iwa and Kusa had been working on to take out a small outpost near the western border of Fire Country. A few days after this information was given to Naruto, he ordered several platoons of Chunin and two ANBU squads be sent to back up the outpost if an attack were to occur.

Sure enough, the attack happened, and luckily, the Konoha forces had been able to push them back. Naruto sent a second letter to Iwagakure, and a letter to Kusagakure as well, demanding an explanation, and if this hostile activity was intentional, more aggressive measures may need to be taken. Iwa and Kusa responded by stating they were attacked by Konoha forces in the western front, which was, unsurprisingly, a lie.

Around this time, Gaara had sent Naruto a report stating that Iwagakure had sent a small platoon into Wind Country as well, and attacked a small village in the northern border area. Naruto decided that Iwa had officially crossed the line.

I had been sitting in the rather roomy council chamber area with Jiraiya, awaiting the arrival of Naruto. With us was Homura, Koharu, and of course, Danzou. Along with the council elders were the main clan heads; Hiashi Hyuuga, Chouza Akimichi, Shibi Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, Tsume Inuzuka, and a real surprise for all of us, _Shikamaru_ Nara. Apparently, Shikaku was on a short mission in River Country, and wouldn't be back for several more days.

The entrance to the meeting room opened, and the shinobi present all stood as Naruto walked in. He gave them all a bow, and they did as well, and then everyone took a seat as Naruto spoke, "Well, I've received word from Otogakure; Kusagakure has officially declared an alliance with Iwagakure. Hidden Rain is an ally of Hidden Grass as well, so we've got three countries against us now. However, Takigakure has already sent us their word that they will provide us with aid in the northern front. There is some bad news though...Jiraiya, you have the floor."

Jiraiya nodded before speaking to the council, looking to me for a brief moment with a rare look of utter seriousness, "Kumogakure has stated they will be aiding Iwagakure..."

"What? How are you certain of this?" spoke Inoichi, who had a fist clenched, "If both Kumo and Iwa were to side against us and Suna, then this is will definitely lead to further conflict. It'll be the Third Shinobi War all over again!"

"Believe me, Inoichi, I wouldn't be saying this unless I was for certain..." Jiraiya replied to the Yamanaka clan head, who let out a sigh as he tried to calm down, "I received word from one of my contacts residing in Lightning Country; it appears that the Tsuchikage and Raikage have already signed a new treaty with each other. As of now, we've got four nations against us, two of which are among the most powerful in terms of sheer number."

Naruto again spoke, "We've been left with a rather drastic choice here; wait for the next attack, or try one last time for peace. If we cannot, then I'm afraid we'll be forced to take action. As a further insurance of our village's protection, I'm plan on going to personally have a meeting with the Mizukage himself. I wish to reestablish relations between our two shinobi villages, and I can't think of a better time than now."

There was a murmur of agreement amongst the people present as Naruto looked over to me and Jiraiya. He gave us a small grin before he returned to the others, "Though I have every right to decide this on my own, I feel the council should have a say in this; I ask for the council's permission to allow a small group to escort me to Kirigakure so that I may speak with the Hidden Mist village's leaders in hopes of making an alliance between our two villages."

The council was given a few minutes to decide while Naruto left the room. Jiraiya and I already planned on voting in favor, and I was pretty sure half of the council, if not all of them, favored Naruto as a Hokage.

"I don't like it..." Inoichi spoke as he shook his head, "The Hokage is placing too much on our village at once. We need more time to gather up our forces before he leaves for a trip across the ocean to speak with a village that may not even want to side with us. We've never had the most sociable of relations between our two countries, let alone villages. Besides...isn't Kiri dealing with _another_ civil war?"

"That's true, Inoichi, but we don't have much of a choice. Besides, the fact remains that we're being threatened from both the northwestern _and_ northeastern fronts, and if it wasn't for Oto and Taki, then we'd have an entire portion of our border to cover. If we can have Kiri's support, then we'll have a major ally with us. Umi's given their support, but they're still a small village with numbers under one thousand. They'd be wiped out if Kiri sent a battalion over to attack them." Hiashi pointed out, earning a grunt of understanding from the Yamanaka clan head.

Eventually Naruto reentered the room, and looked amongst the council members and clan heads, awaiting their decisions. He turned to Shibi first, who stood as he spoke.

"I'm in support of your request, Hokage-sama." spoke Shibi Aburame.

Chouza Akimichi gave a firm nod as well, "I trust your decision, Uzumaki. You're a fine kid, and I know you've got what it takes to make things right for us."

Inoichi shrugged his shoulders, "...I guess I'll put vote yes as well...you're a bit young, but so was your father when he led the village..." He gave Naruto a small smirk and nodded.

Tsume Inuzuka grinned, revealing her sharp canine teeth, "The Inuzuka clan fully supports this decision, Hokage-sama."

Shikamaru smirked, "Well, seeing as you've requested me to be your advisor, and the fact that I was planning on going with you, I favor this decision as well."

Jiraiya stood up and gave Naruto a smile, "Well, I trust your judgment on this one, Hokage-sama. I'm in favor of it."

I saw Naruto visibly flinch when Jiraiya used the honorific along with his title, but said nothing about it. I stood as well, and gave Naruto a small nod, "I know you'll do well, and you have my full support for this trip to Hidden Mist."

Koharu and Homura both gave nods of agreement, though they still seemed a bit uncertain. Homura was first to speak, "Hokage-sama, you are aware of the civil war going on in Kirigakure, correct?"

Naruto gave a somewhat sombre nod, "I am. Hidden Mist has been having a power struggle for the last decade or so, with a relatively short two year span of peace until recently. That is another reason why I wish to go there; to end this war and conflict between clans with kekkai genkai and the people against them."

Homura seemed satisfied with the answer, yet Koharu also had a question, "Just who did you plan on taking with you, aside from Shikamaru-san and yourself?"

Naruto shook, "I have some trusted friends and other shinobi who I wish to bring. As of right now, just Neji Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, ANBU squad Fifteen, and perhaps Shizune or Sakura Haruno. A few more would be appreciated, but I could do with that as well."

"I see...well, considering that you're going into foreign land, we could probably spare more shinobi for you." Koharu then took her seat as well.

Last was Danzou, who stood and faced Naruto directly, "Uzumaki...I'm curious. Who will have leadership over Konoha while you're across the ocean? Are you not worried that perhaps a spy would take advantage of this information and inform one of our enemies of your absence?"

For a brief moment, you could have seen a fierce glare in Naruto's eyes. It was so brief though that you may have just confused it as a trick of the dull lighting in the room. Naruto was well aware of Danzou's past with both Hiruzen Sarutobi and myself, and perhaps his father as well. He smiled, and I had to give the kid credit; he sure knew how to get his point across without speaking, "Danzou-san, I can assure you that my absence shall remain unknown to anyone outside the village. In the meantime, three-quarters of all missions will be internal affairs within Fire Country, and those missions can be given by our administrative staff as well as me. My ANBU will be patrolling the village on a higher alert, and I intend to let only a select few that I have my highest degree of trust in know the full details of this trip's purpose..." he paused for a minute to let the words sink in, and then continued, "As for answering your question, I would like to ask either Tsunade or Jiraiya to run Konoha in my absence, if that is not much trouble. If it is, I can always ask one of the other clan elders, such as Hiashi-san or even have one of my top Jounin to take seat, such as Kakashi Hatake."

Danzou's lips tightened, but he he managed to nod, "I see...I can rest easy knowing that our leader is able to think ahead on such matters so we can avoid repeating past incidents by less capable individuals...you have my approval."

I kept my cool, but I knew that Danzou was making personal jabs at Sarutobi-sensei and myself. Naruto sensed the tension growing, and decided to break it before it got bad, "Very well then. I thank you all for coming to this meeting. I shall inform those who will be attending this trip with me shortly, and I plan on leaving within a week or so. I therefore call and end to this meeting."

Shortly after the room was empty, aside from Jiraiya, Naruto, Shikamaru, and myself, the blond slumped into his chair and groaned, "Damn...I _hate_ formal meetings..."

Jiraiya laughed, "Hahaha, your father wasn't much different."

Naruto scowled, "Yeah, and I can tell you just love using my title...you know I hate it when you do that..."

"Get used to it; you're the Rokudaime Hokage, and as such, people will be calling you Hokage-sama and other such titles..."

Naruto grumbled something unintelligible, but nodded, "Right...well, Shikamaru, could you deliver these to Kiba and Neji for me? They're the mission detail scrolls, and it's important they get them directly..." Naruto spoke, "...and you're welcome to having the rest of the night off. Temari has been getting mad at me for keeping you here so long lately...heheh."

That got a small smirk from the future Nara clan head, "Thanks, Naruto. You and Sakura still coming by for dinner tomorrow?"

"Of course we are! Your mother's cooking is too good to pass up!" Naruto replied, giving Shikamaru a clap on the shoulders, "Go on now, get out of here before Temari starts sending my ANBU patrols out to get her peaches with sweet and sour sauce."

"It's actually plums and melted chocolate now. That and tomato juice..."

Naruto blinked before laughing a bit, "I'll make sure to have Sakura's mother get me some fresh plums for me to send over then. These cravings of hers during the pregnancy tend to stem off of Temari's from what I noticed. A week after Temari wanted two cartons of orange juice and pears with peanut butter, Sakura was asking almost the exact thing, except she wanted caramel with her pears..."

I smiled a bit at that; Shikamaru and Temari were four months into expecting a baby. Temari actually didn't start experiencing any of the symptoms until the second trimester started. The day she asked Shikamaru to get her some celery with tofu and Tabasco sauce with a side of plain rice was the signal for him to have her checked on...she never ate tofu..._never_.

"Heheh, yeah, Temari's told me. How about Sakura? How's she been?"

Naruto laughed, albeit with a bit of nervousness clear in his voice, "Oh...she's fine. A bit grouchier than usual in the morning and afternoon, but otherwise still the same wonderful girl she always is."

"...she made you sleep on the couch again?"

"...she couldn't get comfortable. I'll sacrifice sleeping in my bed for her comfort if that's the case." Naruto shrugged, earning a nod from Shikamaru.

Yes...it seemed that the small group had all decided to have kids around the same time. First was Kakashi and Rin's unexpected surprise almost a week before Shikamaru and Temari learned of their new addition. Rin was a good five and a half months into her pregnancy right now. Then came Temari's pregnancy, followed two months after by Sakura's. Two weeks after Naruto's inauguration ceremony, Tenten nervously admitted she had been feeling sick, and was one month or so into hers. The Hyuuga elders seemed a bit disgruntled by this at first, but after some talking from Naruto, and a few terse words from both Hinata _and _Hiashi, they quieted down.

Then there was Iruka and Anko. Truth was, Anko was now six months into her pregnancy, and after their wedding, Anko had gone cold turkey with drinking. She was now on maternal leave, and Iruka had begun to take on more B-rank missions for extra money with the school year ending soon. They would prove to be great parents, I could tell.

"Hey, Baa-chan. I have a question..."

"Hm?" I turned to my successor, "What's wrong, Naruto?"

"Um...well, Sakura and I already asked Kiba and Hinata to be our child's godparents...heaven knows they're bound to get married before the year is up, so why not have the two be godparents together as well? Besides that, I wanted to know if...well, you see, I don't have any living parents...so would you and maybe Jiraiya be willing to take on the role of our child's grandparents?"

I felt my face heat up a bit, "Grandparent? Y-you mean, you want me to be the baby's grandmother figure?"

"Er...I guess. I know we're not related by blood, but then again, I don't know if I have any relatives that are alive...so-"

"I'd love to." I replied, and turned to see Jiraiya nod.

"Heheh, sure, Naruto. I guess I'll sacrifice my dignity and be called 'Jii-san' by kids." He grinned as Naruto smirked.

Shikamaru smiled while looking to Naruto, "Looks like Temari and I can expect our kids to grow up together with yours, huh? You're our neighbors, after all."

"Oh, definitely! You'll be Auntie and Uncle Nara!"

Shikamaru's smile dropped a bit before he laughed, "Man, I'm much too young to feel this old already." He continued towards the door, "Alright, Naruto. Catch you later."

Naruto gave the Nara clan-head-to-be a wave before turning to me and Jiraiya again, "Man, from the looks of it, this July is going to be bringing some real nice weather. Hopefully that will be good for sailing..."

Jiraiya gave a nod, "I remember sailing over to Kiri on more than one occasion. It's actually about a week at most. Not more than that."

"Let's hope so..." Naruto spoke, adjusting his hat a bit, "Well, I'm off. Sakura will be done with her shift in a few minutes, and I don't want to keep her waiting." With that, Naruto made a quick hand seal and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"It's still amazing to see him leading the village." I spoke, a small grin on my face, "The only thing left now is for Shizune to take my place as head medical advisor of Konoha."

"Heheh. Give it time, Tsunade. Soon we'll both be giving the youngsters advice all the time." Jiraiya replied as he headed out of the room, "Hey, care to join me for a drink?"

I rolled my eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, "Sure. I guess I could stand a few minutes with you." The smile never left the Toad Sage's face as we exited the room together.

**Several days later...**

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I stood at a less used side gate of Konoha with a group of three dozen ninja, among them being Kiba, Neji, Shino, Tenten, Ino, Shizune, Sai, and Shikamaru. It was close to daylight, and we had to leave before anyone noticed our departure.

I had said my goodbye to Sakura earlier before she went to bed, and promised to be back soon so we could have our wedding. That and I was unsure how long Tsunade would be willing to stay in that chair again in the Hokage office. Luckily Jiraiya and Sakura were there.

"Hokage-sama, whenever you're ready, we can leave." spoke one of the ANBU captains accompanying our group, along with a few Chunin and Jounin as well.

I nodded before I turned towards the forest, "Alright, I plan on making it to the Fire Country docks before late morning, so let's get a move on!" I spoke. We dashed out of the village, leaving only a whirl of leaves in our midst.

**(Sakura's P.O.V)**

**Two weeks since the departure to Kirigakure...**

I stood in the Hokage's office while Tsunade sighed, "Sakura, I want you to have a seat, alright?"

I nodded before carefully taking a seat in the chair in front of the desk. The blond woman before me folded her hands before looking up to me, "So, what did you wish to speak about, Tsunade-sama?"

"I just received a letter from Naruto via messenger toad," Tsunade replied, but before I could say anything, she held up a hand, "The negotiations were a failure."

"They were?"

"Yes. In fact, Naruto's group almost got caught up in a battle. It turns out that Kirgakure's leader is the last person to do negotiations with."

"Who? Who is the Mizukage?"

"A member of Akatsuki. Tobi, I believe was his name."

"What???" I went rigid, a feeling of dread spreading my body, "A-are they alright?"

"Thankfully. They received a tip from a shinobi in a rebel faction of Kiri's forces. The civil war is tearing the place apart, and the one's who wished to make a treaty with Konoha were not actually supportive of their Mizukage." Tsunade sighed, "Naruto said they can expect war with Kiri as well now. Well, war with the 'official' forces of Hidden Mist, to be specific."

I let out a sigh of relief, "How did they escape?"

"Naruto summoned Gamabunta while the Konoha-nin made an escape for the docks. Naruto stayed behind just long enough so they could leave the mainland before he managed to escape and meet our shinobi near a shallow beach. They're about six hours from Fire Country's shores right now. I'm a bit surprised that Akatsuki didn't put more of an effort into trying to capture him. He's lucky."

" So...Kiri's against us then."

"About _half_ of Kiri is against us, Sakura. The other half is in full support of us; they just don't live in the village itself." Tsunade corrected before standing up, "Anyway, I just wanted you to know. I've informed everyone else who needs to know. I swear, Hinata nearly fainted when she found out it was an ambush."

I giggled a bit, "That reminds me, are you coming to my bachelorette party?"

Tsunade gave a chuckle, "That stuff is supposed to be for the younger women, Sakura."

"Please, Tsunade-sama? It would mean a lot to me."

"Fine, fine. I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing a young stud dance around you for an hour with nothing but a pair of briefs on."

I must have been blushing deeply because Tsunade began laughing, "Tsunade-sama...really now..."

"Oh, don't be so embarrassed! I'm sure the guys have the same thing planned for Naruto. In fact, I believe Kiba had been asking if Anko was going to be busy before he left for the mission..."

I felt my hands grip the handles of my chair, "Anko? Seriously? Isn't she attending my party?"

"I would imagine so...she may be a little late though; might be giving Naruto a little private dance or something." I could just hear the sarcasm trickling off of my former teacher's lips, "Even if she was, I don't think her and Naruto would do anything that you're thinking of."

"She's pregnant, Tsunade-sama. I don't think Anko would go and dance for Naruto. Sure, she's not showing that much right now as far as her belly goes, but I think that's just pure luck. The fact is that she would probably not do something like that."

"Well, geez, if it's such a big deal, I could always ask someone else. I'm sure even Shizune would-"

"Gah! Enough!" I said while shaking my head, "Alright, alright. So, I can expect you to attend the party?"

The Slug Sannin gave a chuckle before nodding, "Yes, yes, of course, Sakura."

**(Naruto's P.O.V)**

I let out a sigh as I stepped onto the deck of one of Fire Country's docks. This was bad for Konoha. We now had about two and a half of the five most powerful shinobi villages as enemies. If it weren't for Suna, Oto, Umi, and Taki, it'd likely be more. I rubbed my temples as I tried to suppress the headache that I'd been experiencing for the past hour.

"Naruto, just relax. There was nothing we could have done about it if Kiri had been planning on attacking us from the start." Shikamaru stated as he walked up to my side while giving a pat on my shoulder, "Besides, we have half of their support as far as shinobi go, right?"

"Yeah, but they're mostly Chunin and Genin level shinobi. I'd say only about forty or fifty of their forces were higher than Chunin. It's helpful, but I don't know if they'd be able to provide the necessary support if we had to fight in Kiri, heaven forbid." I replied as we began to make the trek home, "Not to mention that Akatsuki has a hand in all of this too."

"Yeah. Still...we've got Suna's support, and I doubt Gaara would abandon us, no matter what." the Nara replied as he looked up to the pink and orange horizon of the early evening.

"He's right, Naruto." Kiba spoke up, walking to meet us, "Hey, Naruto, you mind if we set up camp for the night? We're all kind of bushed."

I gave a weary smile, "Yeah, I wouldn't mind a bit of rest myself. Right, tell the shinobi to set up a small camp. We'll prepare two fires, and try to keep them as small as possible. Shikamaru, assign a handful of our Chunin to prepare some food for the team."

Within a half hour, we had our camp set up. Several tents were set up around a clearing in the woods while four of our shinobi stood guard at all times. We all took shifts with watch, myself included.

It was around one in the morning when I had my shift. I sat at the fire, poking at the dying coals with a stick.

"What's up, Naruto? You've been quieter than you usually are. Even with the fact we almost got attacked, I don't think you've ever been this quiet during our missions in ANBU..."

I turned to Ino, and gave her a soft smile, "Hey, Ino. Shouldn't you be on watch?"

Ino rolled her eyes while sitting by the fire, "That can wait. Talk to me; what's wrong?"

I frowned, "Just got a lot on my mind. I need to help Konoha prepare for war, make sure that the civilians of Konoha are protected, assign enough missions to collect funds for the war...that and I'll be a father soon...give or take about six months or a bit less..."

Ino gave a nod, "Yeah. Tenten will be on maternity leave soon herself, seeing as she's in ANBU. Rin's already on relaxed duty at the hospital, and soon she won't be allowed to do more than basic chakra control and limited physical exercise."

I laughed, "How about you? Is that the ring Chouji gave you?"

Ino looked to the ring tied by a necklace around her neck, and gave a small blush while looking to the side, "He asked me the night before I left for this mission, so I never got a chance to tell anyone besides everyone in our group out here."

"So...should I expect a blond haired Akimichi soon?" I joked, earning a flustered look from my former ANBU teammate.

"N-Naruto! I mean, honestly! He just proposed to me! We can't talk about that stuff until later!" Ino was grinning bashfully though as she faced me, "Although...I think a blond haired boy with blue eyes would be adorable."

"Like me?"

"Heh, you wish."

"Aw, Ino...that's cruel!"

A day and a half later we found ourselves arriving back to Konoha. I headed back to my office after dismissing the others for the day, and had a quick meeting with Homura and Koharu, as well as Tsunade and Jiraiya, and then finally got some time to myself. I let out a weary breath before slouching in my chair and setting my hat on my desk.

That's when I noticed a small slug looking up at me from the table top. I gave a smile, "Sakura have a message for me?"

The small slug gave a nod, "Yes. She wanted to know if you'll be coming home early tonight."

"Definitely." I grinned. The slug gave a nod before disappearing in a puff of smoke. I gave a stretch before looking at the decent sized stack of papers. I cracked my knuckles before creating two Shadow Clones. I quickly set to work with categorizing the papers into three categories; mission reports, local affairs, and international affairs.

After that was taken care of, I released one clone at a time while absorbing the information they had. I nodded before getting up from my chair, and looked out my window.

"Yeesh, it's already that close to four? I better get going."

I exited my office and headed past the assistant's office, which Shizune was currently using. In short time, she would be picking her replacement based on the applications sent in by various shinobi.

I walked through the village at a leisurely pace, waving to those who greeted me. It was still a rather unusual thing for me; talking casually with others. It wasn't that I never experienced it before; the villagers had become a lot less scornful to me for the most part quite a few years back. It was just that now I was the very man leading their village. They looked at me with an even higher degree of respect than they had before.

I reached my house in about fifteen minutes, the trees growing thick in the backyard of our land. If you looked down the road a bit, you could barely make out the Nara residence, tucked back behind a few large evergreens. In truth, the land we lived on had been sold to the village by the Nara clan. We technically were living on what had once belonged to Shikamaru's family, but it was now the official home of the Rokudaime Hokage in the records. Living here had its perks though. Shikamaru's family let their deer roam free within the woods. We often watched them when we were alone together on our back patio. They were rather tame, but still kept a safe distance from us, probably because they weren't familiar with us yet.

I opened the door to the house, and took off my sandals before shrugging off my robe and hanging it up along with my hat. As soon as I walked into the living room I was greeted by the smiling face of Sakura Haruno; my wife.

We had gotten married about three weeks after I became Hokage, and a week after Shikamaru and Temari's own wedding. It was held in the flat area of the mountain above the Hokage Faces. Tsunade married us, seeing as neither Sakura or I wanted to spend money on a priest. I technically had the power to marry any shinobi or civilian within the village, but seeing as I was getting married, I asked Tsunade to do it my steed, seeing as she was the person who worked as acting-Hokage when I was not able to or whenever I was gone from the village.

It had been relatively simple wedding. I was dressed in my robes, since they were the best clothing I had on me for the occasion, and Sakura had worn a white wedding kimono. I had been willing to pay for flowers and wedding streamers; decorations like that, but Sakura said that didn't matter to her. She told me that she wanted nothing more than for our friends and family to be there. The memories were worth more than any decorations could be, she had said. I couldn't have agreed more.

"I see you got the slug I sent." she grinned, "I was hoping that I could see you as soon as you got back, but I figured you'd be swamped in meetings and paperwork."

"You have no idea. Tsunade-baachan's getting back at me for all those years of annoying her when she was Hokage, I swear it. She's giving me almost daily requests from the hospital on increases in funds. I've granted a few of them, but I can only give so much. She knows it too." I replied while sitting next to Sakura and letting her rest her head on my shoulders.

"Naruto, we need trained medical staff with what's happening in the shinobi world right now." Sakura said with a sigh, "Besides, Konoha has a surplus of funds, doesn't it? Medical training would be great for our village."

"Yeah...but Konoha only has so much money to go towards any one thing. Don't forget that almost thirty percent of our standard issue weapons come from outside of Fire Country. We only have a few steel producers within the country, and closest one to Konoha is a good day two days' travel for an average sized caravan."

Sakura gave me a small smile, "You know, Naruto, I think Konoha lucked out with you. You're a great leader. The fact you take all things into account when deciding on things is a good sign."

I shrugged, "It's my job. Sarutobi-jiisan had it easy; Konoha was going through a relative peace when steel prices increased about ten years ago. We didn't have to buy as much steel for weaponry with no war going on. My dad had was also lucky since Konoha won most of its battles during the Third Shinobi War, so after he came into office, we had a stable amount of finances left."

"What about Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked.

I gave a hum of thought, "Her time as Hokage was probably the second most difficult one next to Hashirama Senju, the Shodaime. That guy had talent. He created our village, and managed to round up the clans we have today. I can only imagine the amount of stress he went through in getting trade going...then again, his brother Tobirama managed to get Konoha on stable footing after the Shodaime's death."

"Someone's been reading their history lately." Sakura teased. I gave her a grin while nodding.

"History helps us learn. Although...it also has a tendency to repeat itself." I replied with a somber tone, "Sakura-chan...I'm going to have to start initiating the increase in graduates per year. That will make it more likely for young Genin who aren't ready for the battlefield to be killed. I'll be sending more people's children out to fight in a war..." I felt my hands grip my pants tightly, "I don't know if I can do that to people. How do I go and face the parents of shinobi who were killed in battle? How the hell did Tsunade-baachan and Jii-san do it?"

Sakura gripped my shoulder gently, before pulling me into a hug, "Naruto, you're stronger than I think you give yourself credit for. I can't really speak like I understand, since I'm not the one with the Hokage title over my head. I think though, that despite all the stress we'll all be dealing with, you'll do fine. Konoha is a strong village, and it's not like we're fighting alone here. Gaara has more or less given us his full support, and Taki and Oto are allies with us now. Don't forget that Umi is helping us too, despite their small size. Kiri isn't completely against us either; half of their ninja are in support of peace with us."

I sighed, "Yeah, I suppose that's true. It's just...I've only been Hokage for three months, and already I'm preparing my people for war."

"At least the village is intact. Tsunade-shishou had to deal with repairing the village while maintaining the appearance as a strong force in the Elemental Countries." Sakura pointed out. I smirked while she rested her head on my chest.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan. If you weren't with me, I'd be worried about how I'm doing right now."

"Heheh, yeah, I know, I'm an amazing wife."

"...I wonder if our kid will have pink hair..."

Sakura gave me a playful slap on the arm, "Very funny, Naruto. If you must know, pink hair is a recessive trait on my mother's side of the family. I just managed to luck out I guess."

"Yeah. You and your mom are the only two I think in all of Konoha with that color hair." I tapped my chin in thought, "Then again, aside from me and the Yamanaka clan...there aren't many blonds here, either. Huh..."

Sakura laughed a bit as we continued to relax in each other's arms, "Either way, if our child takes after you at all, then I expect that they'll be a real handful."

I chuckled while kissing Sakura on the head, "Love you too, Sakura."

**End of Chap. 28- Er...heheh, yeah...this story was bugging me for awhile now. I figured that if _anything_ deserved an update right now, it was this one. I know I recall saying that there was much more to come in the story, but I think I'll just be making a third installment to this storyline. Why? Everyone loves trilogies, that's why, lol. I'll have probably one more chapter to make after this; the epilogue. I already know a bit on what I want to do for the third story, though I've got a couple of other fics to work on too, so I'm not sure WHEN I'll get around to making the third one. Needless to say, I've got one chapter left for this, which is the epilogue, and then I'll have this bad-boy finished, heheh. Thanks for reading!**


	30. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...and this fic is evident of this disclaimer being true, for the actual series is nothing close to this story as of right now. Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, not me. Darn, eh?**

**Epilogue**

"Hokage-sama...Hokage-sama, Kakashi Hatake, Anko Mitarashi, and Maito Gai are-oh, I didn't know you were taking care of Nikkou..."

"Heh, don't worry about it, Moegi. Send them in, but tell them to be as quiet as possible. Nikkou just went down for her nap half an hour ago."

Moegi gave Naruto a quick bow before leaving the office. Naruto turned to his three month old baby girl who was sleeping peacefully in her crib by his desk. She was, in the words of the nineteen year old Hokage, the most wonderful baby girl that he and Sakura could have asked for.

The April rain pattered lightly against the window outside his office while he heard a light knocking at his door, "Enter...quietly."

Moegi once again popped her head in before ushering in the three Jounin she had spoken of just a minute ago. Before Naruto could even speak a word to them, Anko was already tiptoeing over to Nikkou's crib and smiling gently, "You know, most of the kunoichi enjoy you being Hokage, since they get to see Nikkou-chan whenever they're in your office."

Naruto gave a soft laugh. It was true, for the most part. Naruto was usually taking care of the blond haired baby girl while Sakura was busy at the hospital. Since Naruto was usually restricted to his office for the first half of his workday, he kept Nikkou with him. If he was too busy, and Sakura was working, the young Uzumaki couple usually entrusted their daughter with her godparents, Kiba and Hinata, who were just recently married. If either of them were busy, then Iruka and Anko were usually around. That or Tsunade was always willing to care for her grandchild.

"Yeah...though I fear if I keep her around her too much she'll start getting into stuff when she's able to crawl..." Naruto commented. This got a snicker from Anko.

"Heh, Kiun's just learned how to roll around recently. Iruka's been baby-proofing the entire home for the last week now. Though, my guess is that if he's anything like his mother, he'll end up just figuring out how to get over the baby gates." Anko replied before stepping back in line with Kakashi and Gai.

"Right...well, I'm sure you three are aware of why I brought you all here, correct?"

Kakashi nodded, "You said something about reinstating the Sannin tradition in Konoha, correct?"

Naruto grunted while shuffling over a few files on his desk, "Yeah. Tsunade-baachan's basically told me that she's going to concentrate on medical work while Ero-sennin's received permanent injuries from Pain. That scar cut into his chakra coil system...he can still perform jutsu, but not like he used to. He's already told me that he's requesting a relaxed status in my roster of ninja."

"Which brings you to us." Anko finished.

"Yep. I want to make you three the new Sannin of Konoha."

Gai smiled while speaking in a surprisingly quiet tone, remembering the sleeping baby next to Naruto, "The new Sannin, huh? Sounds interesting..."

"Yep. I'll be honest; you three are by far the more reputable ninja in Konoha. Kakashi-sensei is-"

"Naruto, I'm not your sensei anymore."

Naruto grinned as the silver haired Jounin was smiling behind his mask, "Heh, sorry, old habit. Anyway, Kakashi, you're story is self-explanatory with the Sharingan and the reputation you gained as the Copy Ninja." Naruto turned to Gai, "Gai, you're by far one of the most powerful ninja in the field of Taijutsu, and I can't think of someone else who would be able to hold the title that comes close to your skills in battle. Anko, you're the sole contract holder of the Snake Summon, and your skills in espionage and subterfuge have become next to mind-boggling in the past two years since you were promoted to full Jounin. Not to mention you know a good deal about poisons..."

"So, do we get _titles_ to go along with our new rank?" Anko joked.

"Hm. I think that's already been taken care of, Anko. Gai's known as the Blue Beast of Konoha by many, and Kakashi's the Copy Ninja and the master of one thousand jutsu. If I remember correctly, people have called you the Snake Mistress, am I right?"

Anko shrugged, "Supposedly that's one of the nicknames in my Bingo Book profile that we found from Iwagakure."

Naruto just nodded while holding out a scroll, "Fair enough. From now on, you three shall have the ranking of Sannin." He set the scroll down and looked it over, "Hm...wonder if that'll get Iwa to back off a bit with you three being considered at Kage level..."

"Naruto, with all due respect, I don't think any of us are at Kage level yet."

The Rokudaime just shrugged, "Hey, I'm the Hokage. If I say you are, you are."

Gai gave a blinding grin as he spoke, "Yosh, I like the sound of that, Naruto. We'll make Konoha proud, I give you my word!"

Naruto turned to see his daughter still alseep, "Heh, I'm sure you will, Gai-sen...Gai." He got up, "Okay, well, that was all I had left to cover for the day, so you're all free to go. I myself am going to head home as well and see if Sakura's done with work yet."

"Naruto, don't forget that Rin and I invited you over tomorrow for dinner." Kakashi said with a smile, "That and Rin wants Ukiyo to see Nikkou again."

Naruto grinned as he gently picked his daughter up from the crib, her form shifting a bit before she rested her head on his shoulder, still sleeping soundly, "Will do, Kakashi-sensei."

Within a few minutes, Naruto was walking out of the Hokage Tower, Moegi following close behind him, "Hokage-sama, you-"

"I'm not in the office anymore, Moegi. No need for formalities."

Moegi laughed a bit, "Er, right, Naruto-niichan. Anyway, you were saying something about me babysitting this Friday?"

"If that's alright with you, could you?"

Moegi smiled happily, "Of course! Nikkou-chan's the best behaved baby I've ever watched over."

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, we lucked out with her. She's got her mom's strength though."

Nikkou, who was now awake, was tugging at Naruto's thumb as he carried her in the crook of his left arm, trying with all her might to put her mouth around her father's thumb, much like anything else she ever managed to grasp.

"So, are you and Sakura planning on having anymore kids?"

Naruto felt a light blush stain his cheeks, "Well, Moegi, I'm not sure. In all honesty, as selfish as this may sound, I'd like a son too. Though, I feel like the luckiest man in the world already with two women in my life."

Moegi rolled her eyes, "That's so cheesy, niichan."

"Heh, it's true though."

Moegi eventually headed down a different road, bidding her dear friend farewell and promising to be at his house at eight o' clock sharp on Friday."

Naruto continued down the road leading to the more forested area of Konohagakure's boundaries. He noticed a few deer walking just outside of clear vision in the forest, chewing on grass while watching the blond haired man and his child.

Eventually Naruto walked up to the two story house, surrounded by large trees. He walked up to the front porch, only to be greeted by the sight of Shikamaru walking out with his own daughter cradled in his arms, "Shika, hey! What's up?"

Shikamaru gave a small smile, "Sakura wanted some herbal remedies from us, my dad just got done making a batch an hour ago, so I decided to drop it off. Temari's over in Suna, giving an update to Gaara and the Wind Council on our current status and whatnot."

Tentou Nara, the daughter of Shikamaru and Temari, was definitely going to be her mother's child when she got older. Her eyes were a soft teal color, like her mother's, yet her hair was definitely from the Nara side of her genetics, a dark brown color, bordering on black.

"Yeesh, is Nikkou getting bigger on me?"

Naruto laughed as he shifted his daughter in his arms, "Yeah, she's gained about three pounds in three weeks and grew about two inches as well. Sakura said she'd be around my dad's height by the time she's done growing."

Shikamaru let out a low whistle, "Damn. We're going to have some troublesome daughters, I can sense it."

"Yeah. Still willing to help me keep the boys from bothering her when she gets older?"

Shikamaru smirked, "Only if you place those security seals around Tentou's door when she's older as well."

The two laughed a bit before parting, Shikamaru claiming he had some work to take care of at home and then had to plan for tomorrow's lecture at the Academy.

Naruto walked into his house, shrugging off his Hokage robe and setting his hat on the hanger while skillfully holding onto his Nikkou the whole while. He walked into the living room and saw Sakura sitting in a chair reading a book while drinking a cup of tea. She looked up to see her husband and daughter, and smiled gently, "How was work today?"

Naruto sat down beside Sakura as she gave him a kiss on the cheek, which he happily accepted before replying, "Eh, same as usual for the most part. I promoted Gai, Kakashi-sensei, and Anko to Sannin."

"Really? How did they take it?"

"They seemed alright with it, though I think Gai's going to go overboard with his training even more than usual now." He scratched his head before laughing, "Oh, yeah, we have that dinner with Kakashi and Rin tomorrow at their place. I guess Rin wants to see Nikkou again, heh."

Sakura laughed a bit while taking Nikkou from Naruto, "Well of course she does! That's because we have such a beautiful little girl, right Nikkou?" She brought her daughter closer to her face while speaking in a soft, baby-talk voice, "Yes you are, aren't you?"

"Aaawaaa..." Nikkou replied before blowing raspberries. Sakura laughed while running a hand softly through their daughter's blond hair.

"Man, she's going to be a real heartbreak, Sakura." Naruto commented while scooting closer to his wife and looking down at their daughter, "That's just fine though, isn't it, Nikkou?" He grinned happily at his daughter.

Sakura nodded, "Yes, she will. Just like her father."

Naruto snorted, "Right, right."

Sakura turned back to their baby girl, and her eyes went wide, "Naruto, look!"

Naruto turned down to Nikkou, and grinned, "Well, I'll be..."

Nikkou was giving her two parents a toothless smile, drooling a little as Sakura dabbed it away with a napkin, "She's developing quickly. Anko told me that Kiun didn't start smiling until about four weeks ago."

"Heh, that's my girl." Naruto spoke proudly, "She's just a bundle of sunshine, though. It suits her to be smiling at her age."

"Yeah..." Sakura chuckled a bit, "You know, Tenten and Neji's boy, Haitori, is already trying to move around. She said Neji nearly had a stroke when he found that Haitori was missing after looking away for a moment, only to find him rolling around no more than ten feet away."

"Hehe, oh man, Neji being a dad...that's something I never thought possible."

- - - - -

Later on in the evening, Naruto had told Sakura that he was going to take a walk. Sakura knew the true meaning of those words, and she knew that with all the stress Naruto was going through, he needed to take some time for himself.

Naruto once again found himself in the small patch of the Uchiha compound that was left untouched; the garden. Most of the area had been auctioned off, yet for some reason, no one wanted to take apart the garden.

Naruto walked over to the small little headstone of his one-time good friend, Sasuke. He let out a sigh as he knelt down and pushed off some moss and vines growing on it, "Hey, teme. Been awhile..."

The wind blew a bit as Naruto adjusted his Hokage hat, "I finally did it...I accomplished my two biggest dreams, Sasuke. I'm with Sakura...and I'm the Hokage."

Naruto sighed as he looked over the somewhat overrun garden, "Heh, looks like I'll have to get some gardening done before it's too late, huh? I think I remember saying that to you before." The Rokudaime looked up to the sky and smirked as he saw a few stars shining especially brightly, "Yeah, I think I will..."

For awhile, Naruto was quiet, just letting his thoughts wander around as he stood in the otherwise silent garden. He thought about the upcoming war, the ninja he'd be sending, the ninja that would be killed, injured, and removed from active duty. He thought about his friends, and the fact that he'd have to give them dangerous missions because they were so qualified for them.

He thought about his family, and how Sakura was somehow more beautiful to him everyday. He thought about his daughter, and if they'd have any more kids down the road. He thought about what he would do if either of them were ever put in danger.

He would never let those who hurt them live to apologize...he knew that much was true.

His thoughts moved onto his two parents that he barely knew, yet felt such a deep connection to. He could still recall every vivid detail of his visit while in limbo with death and life. He remembered when all the Konoha ninja knelt before him.

Why did they do that? He supposed it was because they knew he would be the next Hokage. Yet, if that was the only reason...

No, there was something else there. He didn't really share any of the details with anyone. Not even Sakura. No, that experience was his alone. He would maybe tell Sakura someday, even Kakashi, Jiraiya and Tsunade. Not now though...

_**"Don't worry so much over that which you're not certain of yet, Naruto. You're only human. Remember that."**_ spoke Kyuubi. Naruto gave a small grin before nodding.

"Well, I better get going. Sakura worries about me staying out too late when I have work in the morning..." Naruto turned to leave, but gave one last smile to the tombstone before doing so, "I'll take care of the village. Let everyone know. I'll bring peace to our world. It's a promise!"

With that said, Naruto Uzumaki, the youngest Hokage to date, strolled out of the Uchiha compound. He heard the a faint whispering sound in the wind as it blew past him, causing his robes to billow a bit. He smiled, knowing what the whispers were. They were silent 'thank yous' from the ninja of days past. They were thanking him for ushering in a new era.

An era that he hoped would lead Konoha and the entire ninja world to a new found peace.

-End-

**There you go! Man, this story was a long one to finish, but I did it! I still can't believe I actually got it done, but here it is! Heheh, I hoped all of you who have been with me in this story have enjoyed it all the way through. Keep an eye out for any other works of mine; there may be a third installment to this story sometime in the future, though I'm not making any promises on a schedule.**

Anyway, to all of you who have followed this story of mine to the end, thanks, and as always happy reading!


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